Nine Tailed Possession
by AlexDnD
Summary: At age 11 tragedy strikes Naruto. He becomes catatonic and the Kyubi takes over. The Kyubi isn't stupid however and knows if he bursts forth and wrecks havoc around him he will be sealed again. Instead he has another plan.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I won't give away too much about where I plan on going with the story. Kurama will be a bit out of character and the shinobi might be a tad darker but other than that the world should be about 90% canon compliant.

"Speech"

'Thought'

Oh and I don't own Naruto. That should be obvious I hope.

Final Warning: This story is rated Mature for a reason. If certain things like death, rape, torture and bad things happening to good people aren't your cup of tea please don't read.

**As of 03/15 my beta GJMEGA will be polishing up this story. Special thanks for GJMEGA for doing an awesome job of fixing all of my typos!

**Chapter 1: Tragedy and Death **

Naruto Uzumaki hated the looks of scorn he received every day. He could practically feel the hate as they glared at him as he went about his day. Those that didn't glare at him ignored him completely as if his existence was something they wished they could ignore.

At the age of 11 he had one more year in the Academy. He had hoped that he would make friends in the Academy but it wasn't meant to be. At least he wasn't ignored. Some of the other kids weren't too bad but none of them were what he would consider a friend. The girl of his dreams was in class but she hit him more often than she actually spoke to him.

Iruka-sensei wasn't bad, he was awfully strict but he did sometimes buy ramen for him. Ramen Ichiraku was the best place in the world and he loved to eat there every chance he got. The old man Teuchi actually treated him nice and Ayame-chan always smiled at him.

Sadly he didn't get to eat there too often. He didn't have a lot of money and he felt guilty eating for free. But he did go as often as he could and jiji treated him sometimes too. Right now as he walked back from his day at the Academy he could feel those angry glares.

Sometimes he worried that they would take it further then glaring and making snide remarks. It had happened once, a drunken man had tried to attack him one evening but in a flash the man was gone and Naruto was unharmed. Naruto figured having ANBU watching him to curtail his pranks had an unexpected bonus of dealing with any violent individuals.

What Naruto didn't know was that the ANBU protectors had saved his life on numerous occasions. If possible Naruto would have been tortured and killed many times over, but the ANBU served the Hokage and regardless of their personal feelings they would fulfill their mission. This frustrated many of the citizens of Konoha who longed to lash out at the demon container.

Some had tried poison, others explosives or hurled weaponry but the ANBU guardians were a shield like no other. Most of the time the young jinchūriki never even realized his life was in danger. It had gotten to the point that most of the shinobi and civilians who hated the 'demon brat' had given up on doing bodily injury.

That didn't deter them from making Naruto's life miserable. Shops sold him overpriced goods or spoiled food. Some refused to even take his business. The places that had originally tolerated his business were soon pressured to follow suit. All except the small ramen stand of Ramen Ichiraku.

This did not sit well with those that hated Naruto and business had suffered. It wasn't until well into his last year at the Academy that someone decided to arrange a more permanent solution to the demon loving father and daughter shop owners.

*****BREAK*****

Naruto was happily eating a bowl of miso ramen chatting away happily with the Teuchi and Ayame.

"I almost had Sasuke-teme in our spar. Well maybe not almost but next time I'm going to get him, believe it!"

Ayame laughed, "Why do you dislike him so much?"

"He's a bastard! All the girls are like 'Sasuke-kun' this and 'Sasuke-kun' that. I don't see what's so special about him anyway!"

Teuchi served another fresh bowl of ramen for Naruto. Naruto hesitated a moment but the kindly man said, "It's all right Naruto. We enjoy hearing your stories about the Ninja Academy."

Naruto gratefully helped himself to another bowl. He hadn't had breakfast or lunch since his pantry was empty. Naruto continued to chatter on until another man entered the ramen stand.

The man wore a chūnin vest and had a burn scar across the lower part of his face. He glared at Naruto who ignored him and continued eating the food of the gods.

Teuchi frowned, "What can I get you shinobi-san?"

"Why do you let this wretch eat here?"

Teuchi narrowed his eyes, "Naruto is welcome any time. If you don't like it you can leave."

Naruto felt a warm glow radiate from his gut that had nothing to do with the food he was consuming.

"You're a disgrace to Konoha. How can you serve this demon spawn? If you keep doing this you'll go out of business… or worse."

Teuchi was angry now. The poor boy did nothing wrong. He hadn't asked to be given this curse and it was cruel how the village treated him.

"Get out now. You aren't welcome in my shop ever again."

The chūnin smirked, "You're making a mistake Teuchi. A big mistake. I'll be seeing you."

The man left the ramen stand. Naruto was nervous, "Hey old man he isn't going to make trouble for you is he?"

Teuchi shook his head, "No Naruto, some people just like to act big. There isn't anything to worry about just eat your supper."

Naruto did just that and soon he was lost in the comfort of a full belly surrounded by the few people he cared about. The young Uzumaki had never known what it was like to have a family but he figured this is how it would have felt like.

*****BREAK*****

Three days later Teuchi and Ayame were closing shop. They made their way home without incident but as soon as they stepped foot inside they were assaulted. There were three assailants and they struck with brutal efficiency for they were shinobi.

After they tied and gagged them, the scarred chūnin from the other day smiled wickedly at the pair. "I told you old man. You had plenty of warnings."

Teuchi yelled in his gag. The chūnin took out a blade and pressed it against Ayame's throat. "So was it worth it ramen man? Was it worth feeding the demon?"

Teuchi was terrified. He loved his daughter more than anything. He vainly struggled in his bonds, desperation giving him strength, however it was futile.

Their captor pushed the blade down slightly drawing blood. Ayame had tears in her eyes; she had never been so frightened in her life.

One of the other captors said, "It sure would be a waste to just off her now. Can't we have some fun with her first?"

The chūnin shrugged, "Fine but I'm not touching the demon loving whore. She might be infected with the fox's taint."

The lecherous grin on his companion made it clear he had no concerns. Teuchi screamed himself hoarse and struggled like a madman trying to free himself. The chūnin laughed at kicked the helpless ramen chef. The chūnin's kicks were designed to be painful but not outright kill the man.

Soon he was a crippled and broken man, forced to watch his only daughter be raped.

When they were done the chūnin said. "All right let's kill them get out of here."

They simply slit their captive's throats and watched as they died. At that point in time both Ayame and Teuchi welcomed death in order to escape the depravity of their captors.

*****BREAK*****

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious. Word had reached him about Teuchi and his daughter. That they were targeted by those who hated Naruto was obvious. The killing intent from the Hokage tower reminded the village that he more than earned the title _Shinobi no Kami._

"I want them found and made an example of. They tortured and murdered two innocent citizens of the Leaf!"

The Sandaime barked out orders and a full investigation was launched. Hiruzen vowed that he would have every single shinobi interrogated under Inoichi's supervision until he found the culprit.

'Oh Naruto, how can I explain what has happened?'

His orders given Hiruzen sat at his desk, his head was bowed under the weight of responsibility. How could it have come to this? The Yondaime had wished for Naruto to be viewed as a hero and now the village had gone so far in the opposite direction that they had murdered a family just for associating with him.

An ANBU entered into the office. "Hokage-sama, Naruto has been taken to the hospital."

Fear clutched the old Hokage's chest, "What happened?"

"Naruto saw the ramen shop had been closed down. He asked a villager what happened and… they told him."

Sarutobi sighed, "What is his condition?"

"Catatonic. He is completely unresponsive."

'The poor boy must be in shock. He needs to be around people he knows.'

"Tell Iruka to cancel class today and go to the hospital. I will go there now."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

*****BREAK*****

Naruto had learned of Teuchi and Ayame's fate. He had learned that it was because of him that they had died a horrible death. He had withdrawn into himself completely. He refused to face a world that could do this.

Inside Naruto's mindscape the Kyūbi sensed something was different. He was still behind the accursed seal but it felt weaker somehow. Kurama pressed one of his claws against the bars and to his shock it passed right through. The seal was still there but he could move out of the cage!

Kurama was delighted. He could finally be free. He could wreck vengeance on all. But he did not. Not yet at least. Kurama was many things but stupid was not one of them; he possessed wisdom gathered from long years of life. He had been aware of the world through the eyes of the jinchūriki that had imprisoned him.

One shinobi had enslaved him with the hated Sharingan. Another shinobi had sealed him again. That shinobi's teacher was still alive and could probably seal him again. The current Hokage was also one who could use that accursed seal. No, if he burst free now from his host he would thoroughly enjoy punishing the village for imprisoning him but he would soon be confined once more.

'But there is another way.'

Kurama tried to speak with Naruto in his mindscape but there was no sign of the boy. No response. It was like the boy was brain dead. With no one to interfere within the body of Naruto he took over. He looked out into the world with Naruto's eyes. He took control of Naruto's body and raised his hand.

'I can't use any of my own chakra or they'll suspect something. For the time being I'll have to learn how to use Naruto's chakra.'

A nurse said something and he listened, "The patient has regained consciousness, bring the doctor in."

The doctor came in and asked some questions.

Kurama knew he had to pretend to be Naruto but he refused to be the ball of sunshine that Naruto showed the world. The death of two of his precious people would be the perfect cover to become more serious and less idiotic. His response to the doctor's questions was minimal and listless.

After a few minutes the Hokage came in. Kurama had to force a vicious smirk from manifesting on his features. How he enjoyed the pained expression on the old man's face.

"Naruto I'm glad to see you awake."

"Jiji, is it true? Did they hurt them because of me?" Kurama was careful to use Naruto's speech mannerisms.

Hiruzen's face was absolute priceless. Such sorrow and remorse!

"We are still investigating the incident but I know we will find those responsible."

'Hmm, clever old man. Let's up the ante a bit shall we?'

"Jiji I'm scared! What if they go after Iruka-sensei or you next? It's all my fault; it would have been better if I was never born."

The stricken look on Sandaime's face caused Kurama to cackle internally.

"None of that Naruto. What happened was a tragedy but it was not your fault. As for Iruka he is a shinobi and I am the Hokage. No one will harm us."

'And now I need to start forging a new identify.'

Kurama forced tears into the eyes of his host. "Even if I was there all I would have done was get in the way. I'm useless."

Hiruzen sighed, "Naruto you are still young. You aren't useless, I'm sure you will be a great shinobi."

"No you're wrong. I'm the dead last of the class. I barely understand the things Iruka-sensei talks about. I'm just a burden to you and everyone else." Kurama was enjoying himself but he had to be careful not to lay it on too thick.

'I hope this village hasn't scarred him for life. Kami please let Naruto recover from this tragedy.'

The Hokage tried again, "Naruto I know you feel useless after a tragedy but you will get past this. You will be a great shinobi and everyone will come to see that in time. I believe it Naruto and deep down I know you do to."

Kurama internally rolled his eyes. The Hokage's heartfelt garbage was starting to nauseate him. He debated with himself on where to take the conversation from here. If he was to use Naruto's body as his own to learn how to get around so many shinobi who had the use of fuinjutsu that could seal him again he would need to actually have this body become a shinobi. Based on his current skill set it was a dismal possibility. Something had to change and he needed a catalyst for it.

"Jiji… I want to believe but after today I don't know if I can. Is there some way I could get extra lessons? Just to catch up with the other kids?"

The Hokage in his guilt ridden state was anxious to grant such a request. He smiled at the boy and said, "Of course Naruto. I'll make sure you get extra training. I promise I'll do whatever I can to make sure you become a fine shinobi."

Kurama thought it was better just to cry and hug the old man than to actually thank the decrepit bastard. Surely those words would have stuck in his throat.

Shortly thereafter Iruka arrived on the scene.

"Naruto, I heard you had collapsed. I'm glad you're awake now."

Kurama looked at Iruka and saw the resemblance to one of the many villagers he killed while under the genjutsu. It was interesting that the instructor could see past the hatred for the Kyūbi when so many other people couldn't. Kurama chuckled internally at the irony that the other villagers were now right and Iruka was the foolish one.

Naruto's normally shining cerulean eyes seemed so dull now. Iruka forced tears from his eyes. Naruto had it bad enough, but now to be forced to endure this tragedy? It was too depressing for words.

He looked up and allowed his host's eyes to harden a bit with apparent determination. "Iruka-sensei, jiji said I'm going to get extra training so I can catch up. I'm not going to let what happened to the old man and Ayame-chan happen to anyone again. I'm going to be a shinobi and protect the whole village." He looked down and said, "I'll even start paying attention in class."

Oddly enough the nine tailed fox _had_ paid attention during Academy instruction. Being in a cage he had only his own thoughts for company. A window to the outside world was a blessing. The seal on the previous jinchūriki had muted out all sight and sound could only pass through muffled. He would have to fake ignorance about a lot of things but to a being of his intellect it should be child's play.

Iruka forced a smile to his face and drove away the lump in his throat so he could speak. "Good Naruto. That's a promise that I think they would have respected."

Iruka and the Hokage stayed with Naruto a while and Kurama became irritated with their presence. It was beyond aggravating to have to pretend to be a weak grieving little boy when he was the most powerful bijū.

But for his freedom he would endure it. He would endure anything to avoid being trapped and caged like he had been for almost three lifetimes. He would master this shinobi art they call fuinjutsu and ensure he was never trapped again.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama was becoming more used to operating Naruto's body. Being a chakra construct he had no problems controlling his own abilities but the boy had atrocious charka control. In a real fight he would be dead until he used his own chakra and if that occurred he would be sealed again. He had to get stronger, not as the Kyūbi but as Naruto.

He had been forced to spend time in the hospital under observation before he was allowed to return home. The boy's apartment was confining and he disliked it immensely but again he would endure. Kurama had been anxious to get started on making his host's body stronger but was keenly aware of the ANBU shadows that followed him everywhere.

His home provided some privacy. He knew that a certain clan could see through walls. There was a girl in his class from that clan and he did not feel a similar chakra signature among the ANBU outside of his apartment. Through his attention in the Academy classes Kurama knew about chakra control exercises as well as what was essential to taking care of a shinobi body.

He began by attempting the leaf exercise. He substituted paper in place of a leaf. It was slow going. Trying to use someone else's chakra made it difficult in the extreme. It would take time and patience to master Naruto's chakra network. All of the time trapped within his hosts had given the demon fox patience. He thought nothing of sitting there for hours trying to manipulate the piece of paper on his forehead with pure chakra.

The second thing he knew that was critical was the physical body itself. He needed appropriate exercise and nutrition. The exercise part was easy and in a desire for efficiency he began to use the leaf exercise while doing a variety of calisthenics. He also did pushups, sit-ups and lifted his Academy text books in repetition.

Nutrition would also be important. All of his hosts had been blessed with rapid healing due to his unjust confinement within them. Naruto would not die without proper food but his growth would be stunted and his body would be slower and weaker than it otherwise should have been.

The solution to this was obvious. Simply tell the Hokage that he didn't have food and that the store owners wouldn't let him purchase their food. And Kurama did just that. He walked to the Hokage tower and waited until he could see his 'jiji' and told him how hungry he was. He tearfully told the Hokage that it was only because of the ramen stand that he got regular meals and that he was terribly hungry.

Kurama couldn't help but laugh every time the Hokage had another look of utter sorrow plastered on his face.

'This is never going to get old.'

Naturally Hiruzen, who was still filled with guilt, acted immediately. He took Naruto personally to get groceries and scared the owners out of their wits with a blast of killing intent promising retribution if he ever heard that they were overcharging or selling bad food to Naruto again. Kurama had to suppress laugher when he sniffed out the scent of urine. The terrified shop owner had wet himself under the Sandaime's wrath.

Kurama was careful to avoid acting out of character. Naruto didn't eat much beside ramen and cereal. He made certain to avoid picking any vegetables or fruit which made the Hokage comment on it.

"I never eat that stuff! It's gross!"

And thus another lecture about how if he wanted to be a shinobi he would need to fuel his body with appropriate foods. Kurama played the old man like a fiddle and solemnly agreed to do better and to eat well balanced meals in the memory of poor Teuchi and Ayame.

After their shopping trip the Hokage announced he would be back in the Academy the next day and his tutor would be waiting for him immediately after. When they parted company Kurama kept Naruto's expression locked. The ANBU were always watching and he refused to give them any reason to be suspicious.

It was a good start; his diet had been improved, he had begun chakra control exercise and he was working on molding his host's body to that of a real shinobi. The only real problem he could foresee was that keeping his mask up while dealing with pre-teens would tax even his patience.

'Hopefully the little brats won't be too irritating. Having my plans ruined because I ripped the arrogant Uchiha brat's face off would be pathetic.'

**AN: **I hope you like the first chapter. My intention is to work primarily on my other story so updates may not occur very quickly. This is a fun side project though and I'm really enjoying writing Kurama. Feedback and reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: ** Enjoy!

**Edit 3/15 Special thanks to GJMEGA who has agreed to beta this story! Please check out "Blindness" a very interesting Harry Potter fan fiction co-authored by him. You can find a link in my favorite story list.

**Chapter 2:** Academy

Kurama arrived at the Academy on time. He decided to stay quiet and withdrawn. If he was questioned about it by Iruka or the Hokage he would respond that he preferred not to have friends until he was powerful enough to protect them. Naturally Naruto didn't have any friends anyway but he couldn't see a possible conversation where they would bring up that point to him.

He chose a seat in the back of the class and waited for it to begin. The boisterous youth all around him set his teeth on edge but he allowed none of his inner frustration to show on his host's physiology. Particularly irritating was the rather loud argument that was going on between Sakura and Ino about who got to sit next to their precious Sasuke.

Kurama hated Sasuke like he hated every wielder of the Sharingan. Madara Uchiha had robbed him of free will and turned him into a slave to be used in battle. To this day it remained the worst of the injustices the greatest of the bijū felt that he had suffered. Even the years of imprisonment were better than having his intellect and will stripped from him.

The class began and Iruka lectured on the nature of chakra. Kurama was only half paying attention as the discussion was designed for children. As Iruka continued to lecture Kurama enjoyed a nice day dream of ripping the raven haired Uchiha's head off. When Iruka called on him it was a surprise. Kurama replied back what had just been said and answered the question accurately but not fully.

"Yes that's correct Naruto; can you tell me why that matters?"

"Because it's going to be on a stupid test?" It would be something Naruto would have said. It was important to not make too many deviations from the personality those around Naruto were familiar with. The deaths of the few positive acquaintances that he had could be milked for a bit but a too sudden change without any of Naruto's personality shining through could rouse suspicion.

The class laughed as Iruka scowled and explained the full and correct answer.

Kurama inwardly snorted. The sensei would normally have yelled at Naruto but apparently he didn't want to upset the traumatized boy. The bijū idly wondered if he should needle him until he did lecture Naruto only for Kurama to go into a near cationic state in response. It would be amusing to see guilt mar Iruka's scarred face.

'While amusing it could complicate training.'

The rest of the lesson was completed and it was time for physical training outside. Being children they were mostly excited about this, few liked sitting all day in a classroom. Outside they were made to do simple exercises and then it was time to practice kunai throwing.

The shinobi Academy marked every student's scores at practice. It would surprise many children to know the volumes of data the Academy instructors had on them. Already they were considering where to best place students and on what teams. Kurama wasn't aware of the extent of the data collection but he knew Iruka was recording results.

Several students struggled with hitting the targets accurately. Most of these students were born from civilian families. Kurama saw civilian after civilian score lower than pretty much every shinobi clan scion. Shikamaru Nara was the only one who failed that particular exam and it was obvious to all he had failed to even try.

When it was Kurama's turn he threw the first kunai relying on Naruto's muscle memory. Off the mark. Kurama instantly knew what the problem was but did not bother correcting it on the second throw. Naruto's body was too excited and he had always pushed too much force into the throw instead of making sure it was accurate. On the third and final throw Kurama made the adjustment in power and the kunai struck the target a few inches off dead center.

'I'll need to get better than that.'

Kurama was unhappy that even when he had tried to hit dead center it wasn't perfectly accurate. The nine tailed fox was actually quite competitive. He had always liked taunting his fellow bijū with the fact that he had more tails and thus more power. To know that he had tried to be perfect but come up short was galling; but that would be remedied soon enough.

In Iruka's eyes it was a vast improvement. Naruto typically grew more and more frustrated as he missed and only rarely turned his scores around after an initial failure.

"Good aim Naruto," he congratulated.

Kurama growled with disgust from inside Naruto's body as he made it ape the expected response.

"I will be the strongest shinobi ever Iruka-sensei, believe it! How else can I protect you and jiji?"

The Uchiha was up next and proceeded to hit the bull's-eye three times in rapid succession. Kurama saw Sasuke's eyes drift toward Naruto and the boy's lips curled slightly in a smirk.

The urge to kill the pompous Uchiha was quickly beaten down but it remained lingering under the surface. Kurama thought about arranging an accident for Konoha's precious 'last Uchiha.' Surely many rival villages wanted the boy dead. No that would be unwise; Kurama had a contingent of ANBU guards on him at all times. And likely Sasuke was also watched by the Hokage's elite black ops.

'But one day I will rid the world of that foul bloodline. I will not be chained again!'

His Hyūga classmate was playing with her fingers when Kurama walked past her toward the next station. She squeaked out a, "Good throw Naruto." Her voice was barely audible, he suspected that if it wasn't for the extra-human senses that being a jinchuriki had graced his host's body with he would not have heard the remark. Kurama chose to ignore the comment.

He thought about the shy Hyūga girl. She was a clan heir that had some strange desire for Naruto. Looking back at his memories at one point Naruto had helped her against some child bullies. A fragile connection but one that seemed to have made an impact on her. If Kurama desired to he could probably have Hinata do almost anything for him.

'Pity that she is so sickeningly weak.'

The Academy students were then put through an Academy based kata that they had previously memorized. Kurama knew that Naruto had memorized it wrong and had not been corrected by Iruka's assistant instructor Mizuki. Kurama could care less about receiving praise for doing such a basic fighting style kata correctly so he did not correct the incorrect blocks and movements he made through Naruto's body.

Like with the kunai accuracy practice it was clear that the civilian students were behind their clan counterparts. Their forms were sloppy and they lacked the crisp movements. Kurama was interested to see that Mizuki and Iruka didn't seem to put much effort in correcting more than one or two of them.

'It seems they have already written off half of the class as too incompetent for training. They will probably wash out of training even before the formal exams.'

Then it was lunch time. Kurama ate the well balanced meal efficiently. Before Kurama had taken over Naruto would often bother the pink haired weakling, however Kurama would not follow that pattern. It would be within the character he was trying to portray. He would still act like Naruto did in some ways however on a grander scale he would be more withdrawn and cease attempting to befriend Sakura.

After lunch it was back to the class room for more theory. Learning about velocity and explosion radiuses was tiresome for most of the class but Kurama believed that fuinjutsu might be related to upper mathematics. He hid his interest by making Naruto's body fidgety. He looked around and several times shook himself and then looked at Iruka and the board. Kurama didn't write any notes, he was a bijū and while his memory wasn't one hundred percent perfect, it was close enough. He would not forget what was said in the classroom and his more advanced mind was able to grasp the concepts easily enough.

The class was distracted when Kiba threw a paper ball at Ino's head. Ino snarled and turned around and shouted, "Naruto stop throwing things at me!"

Kurama eyed the blond haired girl and protested, "I didn't throw anything at you!"

Iruka turned around; he had not seen who had thrown it. He looked at Naruto who was glaring at Ino and then he observed other students laughing in the back. Iruka was young but had already had experience teaching in the Academy and based on the expression on Kiba's face it was obvious that he was the guilty party.

"Kiba come up here and explain how to calculate the maximum distance of a thrown kunai using these variables."

Kiba let out a moan, "I don't know how to do that crap."

"THEN PAY ATTENTION!" Iruka shouted. Suitably chastised Kiba lowered his eyes and behaved the rest of the class.

Kurama chuckled internally. The mutt's embarrassment was far more enjoyable now that he was free and in control of Naruto's body. It surprised the nine tailed fox how much more interesting everything was now that he could interact with the outside world.

*****BREAK*****

"You want me to do what?"

The question was startlingly rude coming from a tokubetsu jōnin as she addressed her supreme military leader.

The Sandaime puffed on his pipe and took no offense to the disrespectful query. Unlike other villages he tolerated his subordinates arguing with him. He was secure enough in his position and wisdom not to take such things as an affront.

"Anko I'm not asking for a great deal from you. Simply provide a few hours of supplemental training to Naruto."

Anko still had a hard time wrapping her mind around this.

"You want me to work with a _child_? I don't have time to play babysitter!"

The old man smiled, "Hmm is that so? I could have sworn I heard you earlier say that there wasn't enough work to keep you entertained and that you would be eager to take on an extra mission."

"That was before I learned what it was!"

Anko grimaced and stared at the Shinobi no Kami. A point had been scored but the game wasn't over.

"Fine I do have the time but I'm completely unsuited for the task. I'm skilled at infiltration, assassination, interrogation and torture. I have never taught anyone anything!"

Hiruzen shifted his body and his voice changed into what many jōnin called 'lecture mode.' He was known as the professor due to his vast knowledge of jutsu and for the habit of explaining the whys behind his decisions.

"Anko you are the perfect instructor. One, you don't have any animosity toward Naruto. In fact if I am reading you correctly you actually empathize with the boy as his circumstances are similar to your own. Two, you are a highly competent shinobi well versed in taijutsu. Three, due to your curse mark you have learned to become highly aware of your own charka and your control is similar to that of a genjutsu specialist or a medical nin. Four, I trust you. Five…"

Anko put her hands up. "All right, enough. I'll do it."

On the surface Anko looked put out but inside she was quite pleased. Not about training Naruto. That was going to be pain. No she was happy that her Hokage trusted her. Distrustful looks and angry comments was the norm for her life. Only a few got along with her. Ibiki was a hard-ass but he also trusted her. Gai was always friendly but he annoyed her. Kurenai was her only true friend and confidant. To have the Hokage voice the trust he had in her did much for her morale.

He gave her his best grandfatherly smile, "Thank you Anko. Remember he is still in the Academy and his psyche may be fragile. Go easy on him, at least for now."

Anko nodded. She had her sadistic tendencies but Sarutobi had read her correctly, she did have a small soft spot in her heart for Naruto. If their training partnership lasted long enough she would show a bit of her sadistic side but for now he was still a kid who had been royally screwed by the village he served… just like her.

*****BREAK*****

After more classroom instruction the final part of the day was ahead of them. Sparring.

Many in the class enjoyed it. The shinobi arts drew competitive spirits. The two loudest tended to be Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki. Others kept silent but were just as eager, Sasuke being chief among them. It was obvious to Kurama the boy yearned to prove himself.

Not everyone was as eager. Kurama observed Hinata looking even more nervous than normal. Chōji never enjoyed sparring, always afraid of hurting someone. Shikamaru was just lazy and didn't care.

This time Naruto was not his normal boisterous self. Instead Kurama showed the world a studious and determined Naruto who had a fire in his eyes. This didn't go unnoticed.

Ino smirked at the boy, "Finally realize you aren't good enough?"

Kurama considered a few different ways he could kill the girl. Squeezing her neck as she slowly suffocated could be fun. Burning with fire had always been a favorite. Though really, if she upset him enough to throw away his plan and kill indiscriminately she would be dead in a moment as he ripped her head off.

Luckily for the young Yamanaka he did not lose his temper.

Instead he responded steadily, "I'm not good enough. Not yet. But I will be."

Ino snorted, "Yeah right."

Further conversation was cut off as the first bout began. Each student would fight one on one with a randomly chosen student. Kurama doubted it was truly random but there wasn't an obvious rhyme or reason. He watched impassively as Sasuke demolished Hinata. Each fight would last for two minutes or three successful blows were struck. Sasuke's match had only taken 10 seconds.

Naruto's pink haired obsession managed to eke out a win against a civilian boy. And then it was Naruto's turn. He was to face Shino.

Shino tilted his head politely and the match was on. Kurama predicted the boy's first blow and brought up his arms win a sloppy block. A more precise block would have allowed a devastating counterattack but instead Shino followed it up with a combination of kicks to the mid section. Kurama saw the attack coming and stepped into Shino's space and delivered a punch that looked more at home in a civilian tavern then in a shinobi school.

The boy was in an awkward position as his kick was now useless and a punch was screaming toward his face. Shino was not fazed and brought his hand up sharply deflecting the punch. He brought his leg down behind Naruto's and pushed forward. It wasn't the most elegant attack but it was effective as Naruto fell backwards from the push and the leg behind him.

Kurama had expected that but what he hadn't expected was to feel pain.

'I have never felt my host's pain as my own! What is going on?'

He lay on the ground and thought it through. Never before had a host's personality and mind completely dissipated. By controlling the host without his own chakra driving it he could actually feel what the host felt, not as an intellectual concept but as a physical one!

As his mind rapidly considered the pros and cons of this the crowd of kids was getting restless. Kiba shouted, "Get up loser!"

Kurama got to his feet. One point had been awarded to Shino. Kurama decided to give them a bit of classic Naruto. He sprinted forward at Shino and launched himself in the air in a flying kick. The kick could have worked if his opponent was bad; or maybe if he hadn't launched himself so early. As it was Shino had no difficulties in side stepping the attack and punching Naruto solidly in the ribs as he flew past.

Kurama managed a graceful enough landing but another point had been scored. Kurama continued the act. He pointed at Shino and said, "I'm going to win, believe it!" Kurama couldn't wait to end the little charade but for now a few words and a few idiotic gestures would prevent suspicion.

Shino remain stoic and kept his guard up. Kurama glided forward and used a basic set of Academy kicks that were near enough on point that they prevented Shino from ending it immediately. Shino's blocks were textbook and provided no openings. Kurama attempted a leg sweep that Shino narrowly avoided. As Shino was on his back foot from the dodge Kurama decided to see if he could actually score a point.

The body was Naruto's. The recent change in diet and exercise wasn't going to make much of a difference yet. The muscle memory was Naruto's as well. But the intellect was far different. Kurama knew what he had to work with and while it wasn't much it was enough for a minor victory.

Kurama exploded forward propelling himself from the ground. Unlike his earlier ill timed flying kick this was a surprise. To his credit Shino still had his guard up but dodging wasn't possible. Naruto led with his forearms and slammed into Shino's guard. Shino was surprised by the sudden collision and hit the ground hard while Kurama was able to roll over Shino and come back up standing.

The attack wasn't elegant and in a real battle all it would take was the enemy to lash out with a kunai to make it a bad idea but it had worked. Naruto had a point and the crowd was surprised. Naruto nearly always lost, usually without scoring a point.

Shino wasn't distressed and simply got up and went on the offensive. A few sloppy blocks lead to a kick to a knife hand to the mid section and the match was over, Shino had won with about 30 seconds to spare.

Kurama paid attention to the next bouts but little of interest occurred. The day was coming to a close and Kurama was pleased with his actions. He hadn't murdered any the vermin and had maintained his cover. He would slowly change the perceptions everyone had of the boy. He would not tolerate being dead last. He would need to rise through the shinobi ranks at a decent clip. Kurama desired to find the jutsu and knowledge needed to never again be trapped with fuinjutsu or enslaved by the Sharingan. Once he had that… well then he could truly balance the scales and vent his fury.

**AN: **I did warn you updates would be very slow! I'd love to hear any thoughts and comments you have about chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3: Anko

**AN: **Warning this story does have an M rating for a reason. If you are squeamish about torture scenes this might make you a bit uncomfortable.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 3: Anko **

Anko was easily able to spot Naruto when the Academy students were dismissed. He wasn't much to look at. He was shorter than most of the rest of his class with messy hair and a hideous orange jumpsuit. He moved slowly and looked around searching for his new instructor.

She let him look for a bit while the crowd of kids dispersed and then she approached him.

"You must be Naruto. I am Anko Mitarashi your new trainer!"

Kurama looked up at the instructor the old man had found for Naruto. Her slightly too loud and enthusiastic voice annoyed him immediately. He studied her without making it obvious and his second impression was slightly better. The woman's muscles were lean and well honed. She carried herself with an easy grace that spoke of her abilities. There were a shocking number of weapons hidden on her person. The Sandaime had found a competent instructor. That was good; it meant it would be less surprising when he began to improve rapidly.

"Hey Anko, I hope you're strong."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because if you aren't strong someone will kill you because you're training me."

Anko laughed, "Kid you don't have to worry about that. Didn't I already tell you my name is Anko Mitarashi?"

Kurama honestly couldn't recall the name. Torture and Interrogation specialists didn't hang around the Academy and it wasn't like villagers gossiped with Naruto.

"Um… so I guess you're strong?"

Anko stared at him for a few seconds and then slumped, "Wow, I guess you really haven't heard of me."

Kurama wasn't certain if the kunoichi was seriously dejected or if she was play acting.

Mitarashi remained that way for a few moments but then smiled.

"I am the beautiful, deadly and amazing Anko Mitarashi! You don't have to worry about anyone harming me because I'm training you. I am a tokubetsu jōnin and a damned scary one too. I eat A rank missions for breakfast and no one dares mess with me. Now follow me."

Anko broke out into a light run that Kurama followed after a moment. The run didn't last long, in about 10 minutes they were in one of the training fields that wasn't currently being used.

"You got some stamina, good."

Kurama smirked internally. Naruto's body had only stamina because a bijū was inside of it. If it wasn't for that the malnourished child would probably have been panting and wheezing. But that would soon change; the steady diet and conditioning would make his host's body strong.

"All right kid let's see what you got. Try to hit me."

Kurama considered how Naruto would react and decided that he probably would have accepted the offer and attacked. And so he did just that. He led off with a Naruto style punch, essentially an Academy punch but with far too much force and weight behind it as he threw his entire body into it. Anko easily slipped away from the punch.

Before Kurama could continue Anko ordered him to stop.

"What the hell was that? Are you training to be a shinobi or a drunken civilian in a bar?"

Kurama inwardly chuckled at her comment.

"What are you talking about? I'm going to be a strong shinobi, if that punch would have hit you would have gone down."

Anko suppressed a sigh and maintained her jocular façade. Honestly, trying not to smack the ignorant kid was getting hard. That punch was useless and he was trying to defend it!

"All the power in the world isn't going to help if you can't actually make contact. And a punch like that could be dodged easily. Do you know why?"

Kurama shook his head though he knew full well that the attack was too obviously telegraphed.

"Because your arm said it was going to punch. Your shoulder said it was going to punch. Your entire body told me before your fist was even on its way that it was going to punch."

Kurama stared blankly at his trainer.

Only her infiltration and covert op training prevented Anko from grinding her teeth.

"I am telling you that you made it obvious. And since you made it obvious I could avoid it."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Anko forced her facial muscles to relax and calmed the urge to strangle the runt.

"Let's just move on. Your next problem is that because you brought your arm backwards the blow was too slow. When you punch you never pull back, the extra power isn't worth the loss of time. Here, I'll show you."

Anko punched the air swiftly; she kept the speed slow enough so the pre-genin's eyes could see it. Her shoulder had barely moved but there was obvious power behind the blow.

"Yeah but I bet you would have more power if you pulled your arm back like I did."

Kurama laughed as the jōnin tried to hide her anger. Kurama was amused by how irritated he was making her. In fairness if he wasn't a bijū and was actually an Academy student he would never have been able to tell. She was quite good at controlling her facial muscles and her eyes.

"Unless you're Tsunade of the Sannin or an Akimichi forget about brute force. A shinobi strikes with precision. A fast punch that connects is worth a 1,000 of your punches that will never hit."

Kurama continued to bait her.

"Yeah but if it did hit it would be awesome."

Anko stared at him for a few moments before finally saying, "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way Naruto. You wanted extra training and I am going to give it to you. Try my way and I guarantee you that your Academy spars will go better."

Kurama decided he had enough amusement for now and nodded his head.

Anko smiled brightly and began having Naruto practice punches that were focused more on speed than on power. After about 20 minutes she was pleased with his progress and moved on to working with his kicks. They finished their first hour together going over basic combinations with his new repertoire of punches and kicks.

"Using these types of attacks will improve your taijutsu and they make up the basic building blocks for the rest of the moves I'll be showing you. Time to see how well you can mold chakra, make a Bunshin for me."

Kurama actually couldn't make a regular Bunshin even if he wanted to. The minuscule amount of chakra required to perform it was too small to measure out. Other jutsu could be overloaded with chakra with minimal implications. If he overloaded a Kawarimi for example it would just created an excess amount of smoke and noise. But if you overloaded a Bunshin it produced clones that couldn't hold themselves together.

Kurama did as was asked and slowly formed the ram, snake and then tiger seal. The clone appeared next to him about 10 shades paler then it was supposed to and immediately dropped to the ground and then like a deflated balloon began to shrink in on itself and then dissipate.

The violet haired woman quirked an eyebrow, "Try that again."

Kurama did so with no better results.

"Again."

Failure.

"Again."

Failure.

"Again."

Failure.

Kurama was starting to grow annoyed with the woman. Couldn't she tell that this wasn't working?

After a dozen attempts she finally said, "You are using way too much chakra. Did Iruka go over the leaf exercise with you yet?"

Kurama thought back into Naruto's memories. Yes he had though Naruto hadn't paid much attention.

"I think so but I don't remember it too well."

"That's fine. We are going to use a variation of it that might be a bit easier anyway."

Anko took a leaf from a nearby tree and had Naruto hold his palm out. She placed the leaf on his hand and said, "The easiest place to channel chakra is your hands. They are the most tactile part of your body; they are your primary means of interacting with the world. I want you to focus your chakra on your hand so that the leaf gently rises up."

In the last few days Kurama had been practicing the standard leaf concentration exercise. He hadn't made much progress and that was reflected here as the leaf suddenly launched into the air.

Anko laughed, "You have some power there kid but like your punch we need you to learn control."

Kurama copied Naruto's mannerism and rubbed the back of his head with his hand in faux embarrassment.

His instructor grabbed a handful of leaves and handed them to Naruto. "Practice with these at least an hour a day. Once you've mastered that we'll move on to channeling chakra into other parts of your body like your forehead and eventually your feet."

"OK I can do that."

"We'll meet tomorrow after your classes. See you then kid."

Anko disappeared in a whirl of leaves leaving Kurama alone. Well not exactly. Kurama knew that four ANBU still trailed him everywhere he went. Since the murders of the ramen stand owners more skilled ANBU stalked him. He knew there were four but one of them would sometimes be completely gone from his enhanced senses. And so Kurama dutifully practiced for about 30 minutes and then stopped working on his chakra control and began working on his punches and kicks. Naruto grew bored easily and this was perfectly in character in Kurama's mind. Once he returned to the dingy apartment he would make up for lost time with chakra control.

*****BREAK*****

Anko stormed into the Torture and Interrogation compound. Her colleagues saw that she was in one of her moods and wisely kept their distance.

"Ibiki, tell me we have someone to torture today!"

Ibiki Morino, the head of Konoha Intelligence Division, was the only one in the building not intimidated.

"Yeah we have a couple of small fries that need to be roughed up a bit. Not important though, they'll crack in a few days anyway."

"Do you need them alive afterwards?"

Ibiki shook his head. Spies, even incompetent and relatively harmless ones were rarely allowed to live.

"Good, I'll be out in a few hours."

Ibiki nodded. He didn't take pleasure in his work like Anko did. Some would find her joy in the breaking of another person as disturbing but he knew individuals performed better when they did something they loved.

She took the key to the cell and glanced at the file. Ibiki allowed her to do what she wanted as long as she got results. She would need to be sure to get the information while she had her fun.

Anko opened the door of the cell revealing a petite female. The girl was relatively attractive though she didn't have many curves. She had been sleeping with a chūnin and trying to ferret out information. When her questions started to rouse suspicion the chūnin informed the T&amp;I division and they came and picked her up.

The initial questioning revealed little except that the little mole was a bad liar.

She entered the cell that held the girl who went by the name Margi. The girl wasn't a shinobi so her hands had not even been restrained.

Anko wasted little time and grabbed the terrified girl by the hair. She shoved her face first into the wall. She hissed in her ear, "Tell me who sent you."

The panicked woman lied, "N-no one. I m-moved here and wanted to find a good shinobi who could provide for me. My family is poor and…"

Anko took out a kunai and placed it against her captive's cheek. She let it bite into her skin. The girl tried to jerk away but Anko's grip was firm. The cut wasn't terribly deep but it hurt and it would hurt worse as Anko put more force behind it pushing the kunai up hard against the cheek bone.

The girl sobbed in terror and Anko licked her lips. It wouldn't take much more to break her. Too easy.

"Tell me who sent you."

"Oh Kami I swear no one did. I just moved here to find a good shinobi who could provide…"

The kunai ripped down her face a couple of inches scarring the once pretty girl.

She shrieked with pain and her legs tried to collapse but the torture specialist easily held her up by her hair.

"Tell me who sent you."

"STOP! I'll tell you please just stop."

Anko grinned.

'What a weakling.'

"Talk," she snarled.

Margi informed her that she had been approached by a man with money. She knew he was from another village but didn't wear a forehead protector. He wanted to know information about the village. Margi told Anko that the man specifically wanted to know about any missions that involved shinobi going to **Kaze no Kuni** (Land of Wind). The man had given her a cover story, that of a woman looking to settle down with a shinobi. After she got as much information as she could in three months she would be contacted and could leave with enough money to avoid working or be dependent on anyone.

Once Anko had gotten all of the information that she needed she hoisted the girl back up by the hair.

"I told you everything, no more, please!"

Anko smirked. "I believe you."

Screams echoed through the cell and down the hallway for the next thirty minutes.

"I suppose I better go make the report."

Anko left the girl sobbing. It was always amusing causing pain after her victims had confessed all they knew. Occasionally she liked to pretend that she didn't believe them. The frantic pleadings were so fervent because they still had hope she would stop if only they could get her to believe. But most of the time she just enjoyed seeing the horrified realization that had been etched onto Margi's face. The hopelessness of knowing that there was nothing in the world that could make the pain stop delighted her to no end.

After she left the cell she reported in to Ibiki.

"We have a description of the person who sent her but it was likely a shinobi under a Henge. The little shit didn't know anything else including why they were interested in learning about missions to Suna territory."

Ibiki knew that the Wind Daimyo had sent business to Konoha that normally would have gone Sunagakure. Agents from Suna could be doing anything from trying to understand the scope of the missions they were losing to actively trying to ambush Konoha shinobi undertaking those missions. Hell it could even be a false flag operation by one of Suna's enemies. They just didn't have enough information to work on.

"Good to know. What's with your mood today?"

Anko sighed, "Babysitting duty on orders from the Hokage. I have to train the Kyūbi container. I feel for the little guy but his mouth makes me want to knock his teeth out."

Ibiki chuckled, "I see, so you decided to come in even though you weren't on shift to relieve some stress?"

Anko winked, "Got it in one boss man. It's almost as if you're good at reading people or something."

Ibiki waved off her playful banter. "All right, I'll have the prisoner executed. Why don't you go blow off steam doing something normal."

She shook her head, "Not my style. I'll go back and finish the prisoner. I'll deliver her body in about five or six hours."

Ibiki simply nodded but Shinobu Mibu stood up. "What is wrong with you? You have all of the information you need, give her a clean death."

Shinobu was a chūnin who had recently joined the Intelligence Division. He was brave and still slightly naïve despite having been in the shinobi world for a few years doing missions. He still thought that Konoha was as pure and decent as their propaganda claimed.

Anko looked at him incredulously, "Ibiki are you seeing what I'm seeing? Did this little chūnin just try to defend a known spy? Do you think he might be in cahoots?"

Shinobu took a heavy swallow, "That's insane. I've severed Konoha for years, I would never betray the will of fire!"

Anko sashayed towards him and Shinobu flinched slightly as her hand touched his face. "Did she seduce you too? Are you weak to that form of persuasion? Should I interrogate you next?"

The chūnin was growing more and more alarmed. He kept sending nervous glances at Ibiki's impassive face.

Ibiki finally interrupted saying, "Enough Anko. Stick to terrorizing our actual enemies."

"No fun at all Ibiki, I wasn't going to hurt him… much."

Shinobu sat back down and didn't say another word as Anko merrily whistle down the hall to Margi's cell.

Margi looked up and saw her tormentor.

"I don't know anything more. I swear. I swear. Please just let me go."

She laughed at her prisoner, "How stupid are you? You attempted to spy on our village, your sentence is death."

Margi collapsed into sobs. Anko simply watched her. After a few minutes the girl finally stopped crying and she looked up.

"OK… do it. I won't fight, just please make it quick."

Anko struggled to keep a straight face.

"Make it quick? Oh you stupid little girl. I don't plan on leaving this cell for a long time."

Margi's eyes widened and Anko could see the whites clearly. She stumbled away from Anko, utter terror in her eyes. Anko drank it in and Margi saw the shimmers of insanity in Anko's brown eyes.

Margi began to scream as Anko approached.

When Anko began the screams grew shriller and echoed the halls and into Shinobu's ears. But that wasn't what disturbed him most. What scared the chūnin was Anko's laughter.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama practiced his chakra control while he thought about the day. He had felt pain. His host's pain not his own. He was no stranger to pain. The previous binding while within Kushina had been hellish. But he had never felt his host's pain before, why would he feel it now?

After more thought Kurama eventually decided that it was a symptom of his unique situation. He had never actually lived as a jinchuriki before. While he was a passive observer he felt none of Naruto's pain or pleasure. While he was in control Naruto's senses now became his senses. He could feel pain as well as comfort. It was unsettling but interesting. It was unique and with as long as Kurama had been alive he found that unique experiences were appealing.

Kurama had no desire to live out the life of Naruto any longer than necessary but perhaps it wouldn't be as aggravating as he first thought. After his chakra control exercises and daily conditioning within the safe confines of his apartment he ate his nutritious meal. Taste was something he had never noticed but now the flavors made him smile.

'As much as I am finding delight in this I know that it is a double edged sword. Will I encounter food that I find distasteful?'

Kurama wasn't sure but opted to see if he could mask the sense of taste. He could not. He shrugged, compared to the torturous bindings he had suffered through an occasional pain, malodorous smell or foul tasting food would not be a concern.

What was a concern was getting stronger. Private tutoring, a renewed desire to get stronger in order to protect people and a better diet would all allow him to rapidly gain strength and ability without suspicion. Kurama smiled as he practiced the kicks and punches Anko had shown him. Everything was going according to plan.

*****BREAK*****

The next day at the Academy was much the same as the previous one. Kurama play acting Naruto attempting to pay attention. He ignored most of the other children's barbs and fondly thought of ripping them to pieces. He fondly fantasized about murdering them in ever increasingly painful ways.

It wasn't just the ones that taunted him that aggravated the bijū. Chōji's chip eating was incessant and drove him to distraction. But beyond the petty annoyances and barbs the one person the nine tailed fox wanted to kill was the Uchiha. Oh, the arrogance and smug confidence was irritating but that didn't truly gall Kurama. No what galled him were those eyes that held the potential to enslave him. He, the greatest of all the bijū could have his mind subjected to a mortal's whim.

As his fury grew so did his resolve not to break cover. He would keep up the charade. After class his personal tutor met him for practice.

"All right gaki did you work on your chakra exercises?"

Kurama gave nodded and said, "I did. Can I learn some really strong jutsu now?"

Naruto had paid little attention in class until it came time to discuss jutsu. Naruto had always been disappointed by the type of jutsu he was taught in the Academy. He wanted flashy powerful jutsu. Kurama would keep up the act.

Anko rolled her eyes, "You kids think a powerful jutsu is all you need to be a shinobi."

"Well yeah."

Kurama could tell his Naruto acting was annoying Mitarashi despite how effectively she was hiding it. It was fast becoming his favorite game. Could he get his tutor riled up enough to lose it?

The young torture specialist was getting annoyed but would have been shocked to learn that anyone could have sensed it.

Anko's hand moved in a blur and a senbon flew straight into Naruto's shoulder. Kurama had seen the attack coming but could have done little to stop it without pulling on his own chakra. The separation in speed and power between an Academy student and an experienced shinobi was vast.

"Ow, that hurt!"

She smiled at him, "Don't be a baby, it's not any worse than a needle."

'When the brat slumps down unconscious I'll give him the antidote and he'll see just how deadly a simple needle can be. Stupid brat carrying on about jutsu when he would be dead in a second against a real shinobi.'

It was a lesson she had planned ahead of time, though it had come up sooner than she had expected. It might shake the boy up a bit but the Sandaime wouldn't be too annoyed. After all it wasn't like she was using an actual lethal poison.

The problem was that Naruto wasn't falling down. Kurama chuckled inside as he felt the knockout drug attempt to work. Not even the real Naruto would have fallen down from it – the chakra flowing through his body was powerful enough to prevent the venom for working. He wasn't immune to all poison but it would take more than that to lay him low.

"So are we going to train or what?"

Anko blinked and mumbled something under her breath that made the fox demon snicker from inside his host.

The kunoichi knew that jinchuriki had superior vitality but didn't think it would negate the knockout drug. Her plan foiled she decided it was time for petty revenge.

'All right you stupid brat this will show you…'

"I think it's time I tested the knowledge you gained in the Academy."

Kurama couldn't help but be amused at Anko's reaction. He was fairly certain that she hadn't planned on lecturing Naruto for the next couple of hours. But since she had been thwarted earlier she was now attempting to irritate and torment Naruto with even more 'boring' training. His esteem of her actually went up, she was quite amusing really.

"What? You're supposed to train me and make me strong! Don't turn into Iruka-sensei nooo!"

She laughed at the boy's tantrum.

"Knowledge is the route of all power so I'm going to make sure you have all the knowledge you need!"

And so two hours passed with Anko picking the most boring subjects to review. How was chakra paper made? Well it was made by special trees that had to be carefully cultivated. There were two camps on the best way to care for those trees. One school of thought said that the trees should be pruned regularly to better conserve the chakra at the core and they were opposed by traditionalists who believed it should grow as naturally as possible. Anko discussed the pros and cons of each method and… on and on she droned.

Kurama couldn't help but be impressed. You really had to work to be that boring and somehow she was content in boring herself just to watch the frustration Kurama allowed to appear on Naruto's face.

'Of all the pathetic villagers here I think I hate her the least.'

**AN: **Anko works for the T&amp;I department and loves her job. So yeah – she's a sadist. Orochimaru really screwed her up. I worked a bit on the torture scene. I wanted to make people discomforted but I also didn't want it to be gratuitous. I ended up rewriting most of what I had put down originally. I'm open to making minor modifications based on feedback.

As always please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Getting Stronger

**AN: **Thank you for the reviews – I appreciate them! I have a request – one of my friends is starting to write fan fiction. They are new to it and could use support. The fiction is titled The Foreign Exchange Student by KakashiKagami. I imagine it isn't most folk's cup of tea (fan fiction of a sports anime) but if you would be so kind to provide a review welcoming my friend to the site that would be awesome!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 4: **Getting Stronger

The next day brought with it another painful day at the Academy. The classroom was full of little annoyances. The clan children each had some characteristic that aggravated him. But it wasn't they alone who were the issue. In fact in some ways the civilians were a good deal more annoying.

One civilian boy was the Uchiha wannabe. The waste of space styled his hair like Sasuke, he watched Sasuke and mimicked his taijutsu and even tried to throw shuriken and kunai like Sasuke. It was well and truly pathetic. The boy's name was Noburu and Kurama decided that he would consider him an honorary Uchiha when he eventually exterminated the filthy bloodline. If he wanted to act like an Uchiha he could die like one.

Even though it had only been a couple of days his sparring match against the Uchiha wannabe went fairly well. Kurama held back in the fight. While his strength and speed were inferior his superior senses could compensate for that. His fighting stances and forms were deliberately sloppy compared to the absolute precision that his superior mind would have let him perform at. Instead he got in a solid kick to the boy's ribs and a punch to the shoulder before getting hit by the boy for the third time. He lost but knew he could have won.

Noburu took his win silently just like Sasuke typically did. He even walked away in the same arrogant fashion. Kurama vowed that next time he would beat the little shit bloody. As the pretend Naruto took his place with the other kids the Hyūga girl fumbled with her hands and finally shyly looked at him.

"Y-you d-did a good j-job Naruto!"

Kurama looked at the weak girl and wondered what Naruto would have said. It was quite rare for him to be complimented by his peers. No, not just rare, it never happened. He decided to go with sullen but determined.

"No I didn't, I lost."

The young heiress looked taken aback until Naruto continued.

"But I will win eventually. I'm going to get stronger and then I'll make sure no one will be able to harm my friends again."

Kurama rolled his eyes internally, Naruto didn't have any friends. But it sounded good and fit with the overarching view he wanted Konoha to have of Uzumaki.

Finally the Academy day was over and it was time for Kurama to have his daily training with his tutor.

Anko was munching on some dango when Kurama made it to the training ground.

"All right shrimp, now that I filled your head with knowledge let's do some more work on your fighting stance."

Kurama did as instructed and the session was productive. While Kurama could learn on his own perfectly fine it was helpful to have a 2nd set of eyes. Anko knew her business and the attacks she was showing Naruto were not from the Academy style. They were focused more on striking fast and at vital points or nerve clusters.

"These attacks are all weird like. None of the Academy sensei does it like this."

And the day had started so nice Anko thought. The little brat was actually being cooperative and then he had to open his big mouth.

"Well gaki, the attacks are different because I'm teaching you a different fighting style. You remember what the Academy taught you about different fighting styles?"

Kurama did recall some talk about it. The Academy taught the Academy fighting style which was primarily basics that were aimed at incapacitation instead of killing. There were other styles Iruka had mentioned. The **Jūken** (Gentle Fist) was what the Hyūga clan used. The **Goken** (Strong Fist) was another fighting style and the other fighting style he could recall learning about was the **Saru no Ken **(Monkey's Fist) that the Hokage specialized in.

The Gentle Fist style was graceful and focused on using chakra to disrupt an opponent's chakra network as well as cause internal damage. The Strong Fist style was about hard and fast attacks. It was primarily an offensive style that took advantage of speed and power to deliver devastating attacks that could break bones. The Monkey's Fist was focused on grappling attacks. Kurama knew all of this but it wouldn't fit Naruto's profile to remember all of that.

"Um, yes. Some styles are about kicking and others are about punching."

Anko struggled not to twitch. She kept a calm and peaceful façade that didn't fool Kurama for a moment.

"I guess I'll have to explain the major fighting styles to you…"

Anko basically said the same thing that Kurama had been thinking except she also added in the style she used.

"I use the **Hebi** (Snake) style. The focus of the style is to strike quickly and lethally. It is about precision rather than brute force."

"So it's like the **Jūken** (Gentle Fist) but without the cool chakra blocking thing."

Anko shook her head.

"Not the same at all. The Hebi style is so much more. It is about blocking and attacking slightly slower than your precision attack. It is about using your eyes and body to send false signals to the enemy. It is about using your whole body and making it as limber as possible. We've barely scratched the surface kid!"

Anko saw Naruto looked doubtful, "I think Goken might be better because it has the word strong in it."

'Must not kill my student. Must not kill my student.'

She forced a smile and replied, "I don't teach that style so you'll just have to take my training and you can always change styles in the future."

Kurama laughed from deep within his host's psyche. She was practically quivering with rage. Most shinobi would be able to tell but it was doubtful an Academy student would pick it up.

"Fine but you still need to teach me a good jutsu!"

"And by good jutsu I assume you mean a ninjutsu?"

"Yeah! Like how to breathe fire like Sasuke-teme!"

"Most shinobi don't learn their chakra affinity until they are chūnin and you aren't even a genin yet."

"Chakra affinity?"

Anko rubbed her forehead, "I know by now they would have taught you about chakra affinities! It's part of the theory in the 2nd year."

Kurama scratched his head embarrassedly. "I must have forgot."

Kurama hadn't forgotten but the actual Naruto had fallen asleep.

Anko sighed, "You need to go back through your Academy texts and learn about it. And no I won't be teaching you elemental ninjutsu. When you have become proficient on the basics of the Hebi style and you have better chakra control I might, maybe, just possibly teach you a ninjutsu. But it won't be how to breathe fire!"

Kurama kicked the ground dejectedly, pantomiming what the real Naruto would have done. Kurama was curious to see what Naruto's affinities would be. The Katon affinity was the most common in **Hi no Kuni** (Fire Country) but that didn't guarantee anything. With the amount of chakra in Naruto's body ninjutsu would be a strong weapon. Many shinobi could only use a few ninjutsu before becoming exhausted. That would not be a problem for Kurama.

For the rest of the day they worked on chakra control and then they went their separate ways. Kurama returned to the apartment and continued his conditioning and chakra control exercises. Chakra control was a daunting task as very little of his experience in his natural form carried over. He was determined, however, and his mind was very focused. Progress was slow but incrementally he was gaining greater control.

*****BREAK*****

For the rest of the week Anko continued to work on the basics of his taijutsu style. Kurama respected the fighting style and could see how it would flummox the other Academy students easily enough. Chakra control continued damnably slow.

Academy lessons were six days a week with one day off. That day Kurama had no lessons with Anko or in the Academy. Instead there was a knock on the door; when Kurama opened it he saw the smiling face of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Jiji!"

"Ah, Naruto-kun, how was your first week back at the Academy?"

Kurama shrugged, "It was all right. I learned a lot more with Anko though."

"Wonderful, I'm happy to hear that. Would you like to get something to eat?"

Kurama allowed a dark look to cross Naruto's visage that was followed with a short nod.

"Sure jiji. Let me do this first though."

Kurama carefully made the dog, boar and ram seals needed to use Henge no Jutsu. Naruto disappeared and in his place was a slightly taller boy with brownish hair and gray eyes.

Hiruzen instantly knew why Naruto was doing this. Considering the amount of discrimination the boy faced it was a logical move. It was a shinobi move. He just hated the fact that he felt it necessary.

Kurama thoroughly enjoyed the sad look in the elderly man's eyes. Neither said anything for a few moments as they walked toward one of Konoha's restaurants.

The Hokage decided to take him to a casual diner where ramen was only one of several options. He did not want to make Naruto think he was trying to find a replacement for Ramen Ichiraku.

He thought that it was a good idea when Naruto didn't order ramen; instead he ordered sushi with a tray of greens.

"I'm glad to see you eating healthier Naruto-kun."

Kurama smiled weakly and twisted the knife, "I need to be strong. I like having friends but I won't allow myself to make any until I've gotten really strong. You said vegetables will make me strong so I eat them all the time."

Hiruzen couldn't help but feel an ache of sadness every time he talked with Naruto. The deaths of Teuchi and his daughter had obviously made their mark on the boy. The silver lining in the clouds was that he was taking his ninja training seriously now. It had been less than two weeks and already Naruto seemed to have a healthier glow about him.

"So what has Anko-san been teaching you?"

Kurama ate another big mouthful of fish and then replied, "Lots of stuff. She's teaching me to fight differently. I can tell my kicks and punches are getting faster. She also does boring stuff like Iruka-sensei."

Sarutobi chuckled; Naruto was still Naruto behind his serious shinobi training mask.

"Say jiji, can you teach me a really cool ninjutsu? Anko says I'm not ready and I have to do a lot of stuff before she says she'll even think about it."

The Hokage smiled patiently, "Naruto, Anko is your part time sensei now. If she thinks it best you wait then you should wait."

Kurama sullenly nodded. He debated about starting to shed tears about how he really need a new jutsu to get stronger but he felt it would be a bit over the top. Best not to pile it on too thick, even the senile old fool might catch on after awhile.

"Aw jiji that's not fair! I really want to learn how to breathe fire like Sasuke-teme!"

The two discussed it back and forth for a time and soon enough their meal was over and it was time for the Hokage to get back to work.

"Naruto I want you to keep practicing with Anko-san. And keep eating your vegetables and paying attention in class. I know you will be a great shinobi. I believe in you."

Kurama howled with laughter. Their Naruto was dead. It was only him, the nine tailed fox. Hopefully the old man wouldn't croak before it was time to reveal to him that Naruto was long gone. That pleasant thought was with him all the way back to the apartment where he continued his training.

*****BREAK*****

"Today we are going to learn about poison," Anko told her student.

Another week of training had passed and Naruto continued to improve with his taijutsu. He had even beaten one of the civilian kids in the Academy spars. She knew he had a long way to go but his improvement had impressed her.

Kurama wasn't incredibly curious about poison. While he roamed around as the Kyūbi he preferred direct confrontation.

"If you're strong you don't need to use poison!"

The torture expert wanted to take back all the nice things she had just thought about her student. Yes the kid was starting to grasp the Hebi style but he still had an obnoxious mouth on him. He said what popped into his head without any forethought. In a way Anko liked the kid's unpredictability, but part of being a shinobi was misdirection and she feared he would never learn it.

"Are you always going to be the strongest?"

"I will be one day! Believe it!"

Anko tried a different tack. "Are you the strongest now?"

"Well, no."

"Will you be the strongest tomorrow?"

He shook his head.

"What about next week or next month?"

"No," he kicked the ground.

"So until you are the strongest you will learn how to use poison. It can be an edge you need to win a fight against a stronger shinobi. Also sometimes your missions as a shinobi will call on you killing something without violence. Poison slipped into a rebellious noble that makes it look like he died of natural causes is far better than slitting his throat and making him a martyr."

Kurama allowed Naruto's eyes to grow wide. Once more he was impressed by the kunoichi in front of him. She knew her craft and was an excellent sensei.

That didn't mean he was going to stop needling her.

"OK, OK, I'll learn how to use poison."

She went on to explain some of the milder toxins she would be working with him on.

"One general use poison is what we like to call the knock out drug. It's quite safe to use against almost all targets and it simply knocks them unconscious for a short period of time."

"So is it a poison or a drug?"

Anko shrugged, "I'm not a medical nin so I don't know the practical difference. Really if it does something to interfere with your enemy's body then I call it a poison. I use drug, poison and toxin interchangeably."

They discussed the placement of the poison on various weapons. Putting it on a kunai wasn't ideal since a kunai could leave a large wound. Instead the ideal weapon was a senbon.

"Needles? Those seem like girly weapons."

Without thinking Anko backhanded Naruto hard. Kurama was in pain and tasted blood but internally was crowing at his victory. He had made her loose her temper, it was glorious.

He caught a flash of panic on Anko's face before she carefully hid it and grinned down at the fallen Academy student.

"What did I tell you about keeping your guard up? If I was an enemy in a Henge you could be dead by now."

Kurama chuckled internally at this. She was going to play it off like it was a training exercise instead of an angry attack at an insubordinate student. Fine with him, he didn't actually want to lose out on the training. It would allow him to become a better shinobi so in the field he would not have to reveal his identify by tapping into his own chakra.

Kurama got to his feet and wiped the blood from Naruto's mouth and looked at his tutor.

Anko moved on, "Have you ever used a senbon before?"

Kurama shook his head.

They finished their training that day practicing with senbon and learning about various poisons and toxins that could be used. Anko was going to provide Naruto with several doses of the knock out drug as well as a mild poison that acted as a blood thinner that made wounds bleed more easily. Neither was dangerous if he used it on others.

"The knock out drug is a common tool so many shinobi have learned to use chakra to neutralize it. It's almost mandatory training for chūnin in Konoha but not all hidden villages are as familiar with it."

The final thing Anko did was give him a botany book on various plants that could be harvested to create poisons.

"I hate reading!"

The urge to hit him came back but this time she suppressed it.

"Finish it by the end of the week unless you want another lecture on where chakra paper comes from."

Kurama grumbled and agreed to the task and they parted ways. Secretly, and to his own surprise, Kurama actually found the use of poison fascinating. He devoured the book upon his return to the apartment. Simple plants could be harvested and parts of them used to create substances that could easily kill any shinobi. Why didn't more shinobi use them? The sheer variety and lethality of poison made it almost impossible to have antidotes for all of them on hand.

*****BREAK*****

The next day at the Academy Kurama's ears were once again assaulted with a loud argument about who would get to sit next to Sasuke-kun. Ino and Sakura had this argument daily and Kurama wondered if the arrogant bastard deliberately picked a seat at the end of a row just so that argument could take place. Kurama seriously considered going out and finding a belladonna root and cramming it into their loud mouths. Hardly subtle but it would forever silence the banshees.

Iruka entered the class and angrily told the two would be kunoichi to sit in the back.

'Great, they are going to be next to me now.'

Kurama saw Noburu take the seat next to Sasuke.

Sakura sat down and said, "Ugh I have to sit next to Naruto-baka."

"I do too billboard brow!"

"But it was your fault Ino-pig! I was the one who saw the seat first."

Kurama sat there in between the two pre teen girls as they argued about who saw the seat next to Sasuke first.

'The seal that held me within Kushina was the worst torture I had ever experienced in my existence.'

'Until now.'

Iruka saved him from his torment by yelling at the pair to be quiet. The class was now able to begin. The lesson today was about shinobi rank classification in bingo books. They weren't given bingo books themselves but watched Iruka write things down on the board.

"There are four threat level classifications we give shinobi. Can anyone tell me what they are?"

Sakura raised her hand and promptly answered, "The ranks are C, B, A and S."

"Very good, now someone else explain why we don't have a D rank?"

Ino didn't want to be trumped by her rival answered immediately, "If someone is a D rank then they aren't going to be part of a bingo book."

Iruka nodded, "Exactly. Now remember the rank in a bingo book doesn't mean someone is a genin or a chūnin**. **Some shinobi may graduate from the Academy already quite skilled but have not yet had time to take the chūnin exams. In other cases a very strong shinobi could have suffered an illness or injury that greatly reduced their ability to fight. They would keep their rank in their village, be it chūnin or jōnin, but might get downgraded in the bingo books."

Kurama found this discussion to be incredibly basic and unimportant. He could have gotten the same information with a few minutes of reading. Nonetheless it did spark his curiosity. What was Anko ranked as?

After the lecture part of the day was finished it was time for more accuracy practice with kunai and shuriken. And then it was time for sparring. This time Naruto was up against Ino.

'I'll bruise her larynx, just for the peace and quiet.'

Kurama assumed the Academy style stance while Ino did likewise. The Hebi style didn't require a specific stance. The Yamanaka clan did not have their own personalized taijutsu style since their clan teachings were more mentally focused.

Ino had beaten Naruto often in fights and was looking forward to doing it again. She was the top kunoichi in the class when it came to taijutsu and she could hold her own against most of the boys as well. Not her Sasuke-kun of course but no one could beat him.

Ino confidently delivered a snap kick that missed Naruto by an inch as he slid to the side. Ino was surprised when Naruto delivered a sharp punch that she was only barely able to block. Naruto pushed in close and delivered an elbow to the head that forced Ino to back up or take a hard blow.

Ino's footing was less sure and her ability to attack was lowered when she had to back up. Naruto crowded her and didn't allow her time to regain momentum. The punches came light and fast zooming in at slightly different angles then she was used to.

After 30 seconds she finally saw an opening and lashed out with her own attack. Kurama had anticipated the attack and was already moving perpendicular to the strike. For the first time in the match he performed a kick and it caught Ino in the throat.

The blow brought her hands to her neck as she rubbed it. Iruka hastily ran over and checked to make sure there wasn't a serious injury. There was none, though she coughed a few times and it sounded painful.

The crowd of students was surprised by Naruto's aggressiveness. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes; that wasn't the Academy style at all. And based on what he had seen the attack to her neck was deliberate. He found Ino troublesome but their families were close.

Kurama smirked at the idea of the blond not being able to speak well for the next few days. The match continued and Ino had a determined look in her eyes. She sprang forward and started with some rapid fire kicks.

The nine tailed fox backed away from the kicks, letting Ino tire herself out. A kick could have more power and range than a punch but it was more exhausting. It also was difficult to follow up the attack unless your opponent stood and blocked it. As Ino grew frustrated she charged forward.

The class saw Naruto back up a step and then thrust forward instantly with a sharp jab to Ino's mid-section. Ino, surprised by the speed of the attack, missed her block. She doubled over in pain and Kurama backed up, the 2nd point was his.

Kiba looked on, "Hey when did the dobe get so good?"

Kurama was actually surprised by how easily he was beating Ino.

'She's unused to this style. Let's see how far I have progressed without it.'

Kurama decided to fight only using the moves taught in the Academy. Ino changed up her tactics again and led with a light punch to the face. The Kyūbi blocked the punch with a textbook block and attempted to sweep her legs. Ino did a slight hop and delivered a strong kick to Naruto as he was rising up from the sweep.

Kurama put his arms up blocking the blow. He was pushed back a couple of feet but no point was scored. They both came back together trading punches and kicks. Kurama had improved a good deal in just a couple of weeks but was still unable to score a point quickly. Instead Ino actually surprised him by feinting a punch to the midsection and turning it into a grab of his jumpsuit when he responded with the appropriate block. She pulled him forward and pushed him off balance so he was not in position to block the second punch from her other arm.

The class cheered. They didn't like Naruto much and the world was made right when he started to lose against his opponent. The fox decided to quell those cheers by reverting back to the Hebi style. Ino had her confidence again and she started off with a blistering barrage of punches interspersed with kicks.

Kurama drifted in and out of the dance at odd angles and used circular blocks as opposed to the more direct and forceful blocks the Academy taught. Ino soon found her hands not where she wanted them and unable to defend herself from a sharp elbow to her ribs that connected with some force.

Iruka called the match, Naruto had won his second spar and this time it was against a clan heir. Their teacher was very curious about the fighting style that was used.

"Congratulations Naruto, Ino isn't an easy opponent. After the rest of the spars I'd like to talk to you."

Kurama gave Iruka one of the happy go lucky Naruto smiles and replied, "Sure Iruka-sensei!"

**AN: **I created an OC due to possible team changes. Naruto (err Kurama) won't be dead last by the end of the Academy year so he won't be put on the team with Sasuke and Sakura. I'm not certain if I want to break up the other clan teams or put him on a completely OC team.


	5. Chapter 5: Getting Stronger Part II

**AN: **Thank you for the reviews – they help motivate me to write more!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his amazing beta services!

**Chapter 5: **Getting Stronger Part II

After the rest of the spars Iruka let the rest of the class go while he spoke with Naruto.

"Naruto, I have a couple of questions for you."

Kurama again responded, "Sure Iruka-sensei! Did you see how awesome my spar was? I'm finally getting strong!"

He congratulated Naruto but then said, "Naruto, where did you learn how to fight like that?"

"Oh, Anko-sensei taught me. She says it's the Hebi style."

Iruka was surprised and probed further, learning that it was the Hokage who had arranged the additional tutoring. Iruka wouldn't question the Hokage's wisdom but Mitarashi had a disturbing reputation. Still it seemed like her training had worked wonders for the boy's taijutsu.

"One last question Naruto, did you deliberately aim for Ino's throat?"

Kurama had several ways he could answer but quickly chose the more entertaining one.

The chūnin looked on as the boy's face grew flush. The boy looked very uncomfortable and Iruka grew alarmed. Dealing a blow like that to a fellow Academy student was dangerous and very unlike Naruto's kind natured demeanor. And then Naruto erupted.

"It isn't my fault! I didn't know I was supposed to eat my vegetables."

"What?" Iruka asked puzzled.

"I never at my vegetables, jiji told me if ate better I would grow bigger. I was too short to reach her face with my kick because no one told me the bad tasting food would make me taller!"

Iruka was both relieved and chagrined at Naruto's answer. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "All right Naruto, have Anko work on your kicks then. We don't want anyone seriously hurt in a spar."

He watched as Naruto nodded solemnly and then let the boy go. Iruka was glad that Naruto was getting the training he needed to bloom. The kid had a rough life and the deaths of Ayame and her father were harsh blows that could have shattered the poor boy. He couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt at the way he had treated Naruto in the early years at the Academy.

'Grow strong Naruto and always keep that childlike spirit!'

*****BREAK*****

Kurama congratulated himself on his own cleverness. The sappy instructor had bought his lie hook line and sinker. He casually made his way over to the training grounds where Anko was waiting for him.

"You're a bit late runt, where have you been?"

"Iruka-sensei wanted to know where I got so good at kicking ass!"

Anko grinned, "You win another match? Against who?"

"Ino Yamanaka."

"Not bad kid, that's one of the clan heirs. I bet she's in the running for the top kunoichi spot."

Kurama gave a shrug and then burst out into a grin, "I can't wait to take on Sasuke-teme!"

The two spent some time on taijutsu work and Anko began teaching Naruto a new set of stretches that would loosen his limbs more than normal.

"Ow, these hurt," Kurama complained as he assumed Naruto would have.

"Yup and you'll need to keep doing them for the next month or it will all be for nothing. This will allow your body to bend in a way most shinobi can't do. This adds to the confusion of your opponent when your limbs do things that don't appear to be naturally possible. This isn't the **Nan no Kaizō** (Soft Physique Modification) but it is still incredibly useful."

"I've never heard of that jutsu before."

Anko explained that it was a jutsu only a few shinobi use. It required body modification typically done through surgery and then training in using chakra to move one's limbs when muscles couldn't accomplish the type of movement required. Kurama gave that type of path little consideration. It wouldn't be practical while Naruto's body was growing to adulthood and he wasn't planning to be within his host for that long anyway.

In any event learning the stretches would benefit him in his current fighting style. They wrapped up their training by Anko observing his chakra control.

"You still have a lot of work ahead of you kid but it's gotten a bit better."

Kurama didn't like being reminded of his failure in that area. The vast amount of chakra the boy had made controlling it nearly impossible. It had only been a few weeks so there was still time but Kurama was starting to despair of ever being able to get the accursed **Bunshin no Jutsu** (Clone Technique) to work. It was like trying to add soil to a potted plant when the only tool that you had was a massive shovel designed for a bijū. Excess chakra ruined the effect.

"I'll keep working on it but I'm already trying _really_ hard. Hey, maybe you can ask another sensei about any other chakra control techniques that might work better for me?"

The demon fox snickered to himself as he saw the tell tale signs of Anko getting irritated. It was subtle and no Academy student or genin would have noticed but Kurama did.

The purple haired kunoichi resisted the urge to hurt her little student. The question was innocent enough but if she didn't know any better she would have sworn the little shit had hidden a deliberate barb in that question.

"The chakra training techniques I've given you are all you need. Work harder and be patient." Anko responded without any hint in her voice she was insulted and angry.

Kurama cackled as he made Naruto's head nod in agreement.

"I'll keep working on it!"

As Naruto ran off to continue his training in his apartment Anko headed to the Hokage tower. The head of the village wanted to talk to her about how Naruto's training was going.

*****BREAK*****

Hiruzen saw Anko enter his office and gave her a grandfatherly smile.

"Ah, Anko, thank you for seeing me. I wanted to ask how Naruto-kun's training was progressing."

She bowed her head slightly and replied, "He is doing well. His taijutsu skill has progressed considerably. His conditioning and the better diet you placed him on is helping him start to achieve faster muscle growth. His speed has increased as well."

"But?" The Hokage asked sensing that there was something more.

"He learns very oddly. It takes him some time to master new concepts which led me to believe he was somewhat mentally deficient, however once he has mastered something he never does it wrong. Never."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow.

"I've only ever seen that much precision from Gai and that is due to grueling hours of training that firmly engrains every taijutsu move and attack into his muscles. Naruto doesn't seem to need that level of repetition in order to fully master a skill."

"Interesting, and promising for his career as a shinobi. How is his chakra control?"

"Terrible. He is working on it and there has been some improvement but the size of his chakra coils is making it difficult for him."

Hiruzen knew Kushina had a similar problem which was why she focused on chakra intensive techniques to overwhelm her opponents.

"Will he be able to graduate with his class?"

Anko gave a slight shrug. "In taijutsu and most ninjutsu he will be fine. His stealth abilities were already impressive before I started. His knowledge base is pitiful but that's never been important to genin graduates. The only problem he will have is the clone technique."

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he thought about the situation. He had just made an exception for Rock Lee to become a genin despite not being able to do the basic three Academy jutsu. Should he do the same for Naruto? Since the tragedy with Teuchi and Ayame Naruto had thrown himself into becoming a strong shinobi. He was blossoming under Anko's instruction and had every sign of becoming a fine shinobi. Would he really hold him back because of an inability to do a simple Bunshin?

'Best to wait and see, perhaps Naruto will surprise us.'

"Well done Anko. You have demonstrated the abilities needed of a sensei. If Naruto can pass the Academy test as well as the genin test I see no reason why you couldn't be made a full jōnin."

Anko grinned. The distinction between jōnin and a tokubetsu jōnin could mean little or a lot depending on who you were asking. A tokubetsu jōnin only had to be skilled at a jōnin level in one specific area to make the rank. A full jōnin had to be skilled in multiple areas. In Konoha there was an additional requirement, a full jōnin had to be declared fit to be a sensei over a genin team. Her own immediate superior, Ibiki, probably could have taken on the jōnin rank but since he had no desire to ever train genin and could give a spit's worth for people's perceptions he never bothered.

However, Anko _did_ care about the village's opinion of her. On the surface she didn't seem to care but deep down she wanted to rub it in their faces that they were dead wrong about her. She was not a psychotic traitor in the making. She was a loyal kunoichi of the Leaf who had _interesting_ hobbies. The jōnin rank would be her vindication.

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen waved her off. He was pleased that Naruto was developing. It helped assuage some of the guilt he had over the deaths of the ramen vendors. He had thought a team deployed to watch Naruto would be enough. He had never dreamed his own shinobi would be cruel and vindictive enough to attack the boy's few acquaintances. As it was he now had a pair of ANBU trailing Iruka as well. He had briefly thought about having guards posted on Anko but it seemed unnecessary – she was more than capable of handling herself.

His assessment of her skills was part of the reason he had no problem with dangling the jōnin rank in front of her. Her taijutsu was solidly at jōnin level. The Hebi style was an impressive fighting art indeed. In straight taijutsu spars he had even lost to his own student who had wielded the style. Her ninjutsu was passable if nothing truly special. She rarely used genjutsu but was adept at breaking out of it.

In the arts of stealth and infiltration there were few who could match her. Her knowledge of poisons and their use provided an additional nasty surprise for would-be opponents. And finally her summoning abilities alone could mark her place as an elite jōnin. Some of the larger snakes she could summon were easily a match by themselves for some of the lower end jōnin.

'The village has mistreated the both of you. My hope is that together you can show them how wrong they are and make Konoha all the stronger for it.'

*****BREAK*****

At the Academy students were starting to respect Naruto more. His skill in taijutsu had increased as had his proficiency with thrown weapons. Many of the civilian kids still looked at him with contempt due to what their parents had taught them but the clan heirs were a bit more respectful.

Ino did in fact have a bruise on her throat and her ability to speak loudly was largely curtailed for a few days. She was a bit more wary about insulting the unpredictable blond. Shikamaru, when he could be bothered, kept an eye on Naruto. He had seen that kick and it looked like it had been deliberate. That action was at odds with Naruto's personality and it made him wonder if there was more to the boy than met the eye. If he had more motivation he might have done more than wonder but since there had been no repeats it was simply too troublesome to look into.

Chōji had never had a problem with Naruto and his opinion hadn't changed much at all. Sasuke had given the boy a second look. The dead last was showing some skill and he was eager to see how he would do against the unique fighting style he saw. He was disappointed that he would have to wait two weeks before it was his turn to spar with him.

Shino likewise had never had a problem with Naruto though he had found his loudness and unpredictability annoying. Hinata was her normal shy self around Naruto however in spars she seemed to have gained some confidence due to Naruto suddenly becoming better.

Kiba on the other hand had a very different reaction. He now saw Naruto as a threat in the 'pack' standing as opposed to the dead last class clown. This meant that he was quickly becoming a thorn in Kurama's side.

He did things like giving him a hard shoulder when they walked into class, throwing items and blaming it on Naruto or loudly belittling him. Kurama stewed and wondered how suspicious it would be if the mutt suddenly ended up dead from poison. He could pick one Anko hadn't showed him yet that he had researched on his own.

'Better not, suspicion would still fall on me.'

Over the next few days Kiba continued to bait Naruto. Kurama decided he would have it out publically with the boy and suffer a few consequences but ultimately keep the expectations about him the same.

That day when Kiba gave him a shove as they were entered Kurama reacted with an unexpected elbow to Kiba's face. He then turned and kicked the surprised Inuzuka in the chest sending him careening into Iruka's desk. In an instant Iruka put himself between the angry looking Naruto and Kiba who had leapt up ready for a fight.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Kurama glared at Kiba, "He shoved me."

Kiba growled, "You were in the way."

Iruka sighed, "You are both training to be shinobi. You very well may be comrades in the future, act like it."

Kurama walked stiffly back to his desk while Kiba did the same.

Kiba muttered underneath his breath, "You little dobe, hitting me with a surprise attack, next time it will be different."

Kurama chuckled at such childish threats. He really was above this. If the cur beside him ever sniffed his real form he would wet himself. It galled him the little mortals couldn't be made to suffer for speaking to him this way.

'But in due time they will.'

*****BREAK*****

After Iruka's warning Kiba backed off a bit and the days passed productively. Anko drilled him on charka control exercises for much of their training time. Kurama wondered why she seemed so much more motivated. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to help him with chakra control before but now she seemed to focus on it more than on other things.

With progress slow Anko decided to try something different.

"All right gaki I'm going to show you a more advanced technique that typically isn't taught until you have a jōnin sensei outside of the Academy. It uses more chakra than the Bunshin so it might be easier. If you can master it then maybe it will be easier to work your way down."

"What is it?"

"You'll be pushing chakra into your feet in order to stick to a tree and actually walk up it. Here, let your amazing instructor demonstrate."

And with that Anko casually walked up the tree.

Kurama was familiar with shinobi clinging to surfaces; he had fought many in the glorious time where he was free to roam around in his natural form.

In Naruto's exuberant voice he said, "Let me try!"

Kurama took a step on the tree and the bark immediately disintegrated.

"Big surprise, you put too much chakra into it. It will help if you get a running start and use a minimal amount."

Kurama nodded and did just that. He made it up two steps before the bark disintegrated again. Thanks to the improvements in training he was able to complete a backward flip and land on his feet instead of slamming into the ground in an undignified manner.

Anko watched her student make dozens of attempts. He wasn't making much progress but she had to credit him for his determination. And then she saw Naruto had stopped and was looking at the tree in concentration.

"What are you doing short stuff?"

Kurama grinned at Anko with an over the top Naruto smile.

"I have an idea."

Anko felt chakra stir in the air. The kid was putting out far more chakra than was necessary for the exercise.

'Leave it to Naruto to take the lesson in the wrong direction. Finesse, not power, is needed!'

But much to her surprise Naruto made it up half a dozen steps before faltering. He made it seven steps the next time. She tried to puzzle out what he was doing. The light bulb went off as she saw his clothing cling to him.

Naruto had a hard time with these exercises due to the massive amount of chakra he had. Instead of merely concentrating chakra on his feet he was concentrating it on his entire body and thus thinning out the amount of chakra at any particular body part. It was actually quite clever if terribly inefficient.

'But I suppose Naruto has chakra to burn. And once he gets it down this way he can start further refining it.'

"All right kid you're getting the hang of it. For the rest of our practice keep working on this and tomorrow we'll be upping the difficulty."

Kurama watched Anko leave. He was glad he had found a way to make progress with the tree walking exercise. He would gain control of the boy's chakra network and when he did he would be given the opportunity to learn advanced techniques. It would be suspicious if he asked to learn fuinjutsu since that would likely be the first type of technique a compromised jinchūriki would want to learn. He was nothing if not clever and he would eventually steer the conversation in that direction without others being aware of it. In the meantime he had a tree to climb.

*****BREAK*****

True to her word Anko had made it more difficult. As he was trying to climb the trees with chakra she would toss blunted kunai at him with rather significant force. He would have to deflect the kunai while running up the tree. Fortunately Kurama was adept at multitasking. He was able to deflect the kunai without impairing his chakra control.

However Anko didn't like having her fun ruined so she started throwing the kunai with much greater force. The kunai raced toward him at speeds greater than most genin could deflect let alone an Academy student. Kurama and his superior senses could detect them of course but even with that added advantage the body he possessed needed better reflexes to react.

And so Anko laughed as Naruto fell from the tree in an ungainly heap several times from her blunted kunai. His look of pain and frustration were a joyful sight. The best part was that the Sandaime himself had used a similar training tactic on his students so it wasn't like she could get in trouble for it.

Kurama could feel pain and while it was annoying it was nothing compared to what he had suffered in the past. It would have been expected for Naruto to show pain on his features and so he did that. He also could sense that Anko was enjoying herself in this training exercise.

'I can't really blame her, watching people suffer is amusing.'

Interestingly enough Kurama had no desire to rend Mitarashi to pieces. When Kiba or one of the other students irritated him he had to control himself to avoid murdering the little shits. When Anko caused more pain through her blunted kunai in one afternoon than Kiba had done all year at the Academy he didn't feel any animosity.

What was he feeling? Respect for a kindred spirit? Of course she was his inferior in every possible way but still… something about her made him want to spare her when he destroyed the village for daring to confine him.

They spent the rest of their training time working on the tree walking, well to be more precise the tree running exercise. At the end of it he had still not been able to get all the way to the top, but there had been substantial progress. Anko made him complete the painful stretching exercise and then let him loose for the rest of the day.

Kurama returned to the apartment and continued to work on his chakra control exercises as well as the supplemental conditioning. It had been less than a month but his body was gaining more definition and he could tell he was both stronger and faster than he was when he first took over. He was no longer dead last in the Academy rankings, that dubious honor had been taken up by a civilian boy completely unsuited for shinobi training.

'Graduate the Academy. Become a genin. Begin learning fuinjutsu. Become a chūnin. Learn more about fuinjutsu and make it my specialty. Become a jōnin. Become a seal master. Destroy the Leaf village.'

One step at a time Kurama thought to himself. Patience would be needed but so far he was progressing along nicely.

**AN: **As always I appreciate feedback.


	6. Chapter 6: Poison

**AN: **My other story just broke 1K reviews… considering this is rated M and a bit off the beaten path that might be difficult to do with this story but I'm still going to go for it!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his beta work!

**Chapter 6: **Poison

It was now six weeks since Kurama had begun studying under Anko. His taijutsu had grown by leaps and bounds. The Academy style had severe difficulty in countering his Hebi style. Combined with that innate advantage and the improvement in his body he was soon soundly defeating the rest of his peers in the taijutsu spars.

Today the class was abuzz with the latest match up. Naruto Uzumaki versus Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura loudly yelled at Naruto, "You got a bit better but you are no match for Sasuke-kun!"

"Yeah," Ino chimed in.

Shikamaru who had his nap interrupted by the yelling just rolled his head a bit and muttered.

"Troublesome."

Kurama was only mildly worried about advancing too fast. After all, he was receiving personal instruction from a taijutsu expert in a style that countered the Academy taught moves almost perfectly. His school work had improved but was still subpar and his atrocious chakra control didn't need to be faked.

He was honestly looking forward to the match with the young Uchiha. This would be a truer test of how much his host's body had improved than his previous matches. Mizuki and Iruka settled the class down and started the sparring with Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke was also eager for the fight. The Academy had been boring and he was rarely challenged. The Inuzuka was the only one who had any ferocity but he was easy to fool in their taijutsu matches. Now the dead last had been given supplemental training and might actually prove to be a challenge.

The fight began with Kurama sliding forward at a steady pace before launching a quick kick at a much higher rate of speed. Either Sasuke hadn't been fooled or his reflexes were just that good since he managed to knock the limb aside and counter with a blistering fast set of punches.

The class saw Naruto block, bend and twist away from all of the blows. His body was moving in surprising ways that clearly frustrated the Uchiha's advance. On the other hand Kurama could not get in a good attack either. Sasuke was just plain faster.

'Six weeks hasn't allowed me to improve this body's speed much.'

Kurama rolled under a high kick and attempted an unexpected leg sweep on his way past, however Sasuke jumped over the leg. Since the Uchiha was airborne Kurama saw an opportunity. By pushing chakra into the soles of his feet he was able come up and rocket toward Sasuke with more speed than normal. The earth around his launching point was shattered by the chakra push.

Sasuke was surprised by the move but quickly blocked the punch and snapped a kick in mid air that caught the rising Naruto in the gut and sent him back down hard on the ground. Point for Sasuke.

Kurama sprang back to his feet. He was angry that the raven haired boy was stronger and faster than he was. If he tapped into just a fraction of his power he could kill him, the rest of the class and the chūnin instructors easily. However if he did that it would alert the old man and even if he took half the village down with him eventually he would be sealed again. So instead he forced down the urge to annihilate everyone around him and put his guard up in a defensive position.

Ami, another one of Sasuke's fan girls shouted out, "Yeah get him Sasuke-kun, if you beat him I'll give you a kiss!"

Ino and Sakura growled at the purple haired girl but soon turned back to the fight as the two continued their taijutsu spar.

Mizuki watched, slightly awed at the moves. They were both fighting at upper genin level! He would expect to see a match like this in the chūnin exams not ten months before graduation.

Sasuke advanced cautiously and probed Naruto's defenses with some light punches and kicks that didn't have much force behind them. Kurama smoothly countered all of the blows but remained defensive, keeping his limbs close to his body.

Eventually Sasuke grew tired of probing and rushed in with a hard strike to the face that Kurama avoided by sliding perpendicular to the blow. He countered with an elbow straight to the face but the speedy Uchiha caught the blow in his palm and then shoved him back hard. The unexpected strength drove Kurama off balance and left him open.

It was probably similar to what a Sharingan wielder saw against an opponent too fast for his body to match even though his eyes could see the attack coming. Kurama had greater perception than anyone without a dojutsu. He knew instantly that he would not be able to counter the fast snap kick that was coming for him.

The kick connected and the kids cheered as the ostracized one went down from the hard blow. Kurama rose to his feet while the point was called. Kurama knew it was hopeless but Naruto wouldn't give up so he had to make it look good.

"Argh Sasuke-teme I am going to beat you, believe it!"

Sasuke snorted as he saw Naruto charge forward with almost no semblance of an attack strategy. After a few short exchanges Naruto lunged too far with an attack and Sasuke scored a blow to his ribs that ended the match.

Iruka patted Naruto on the shoulder, "Good try Naruto, just make sure you keep your cool. In the last round you were pretty erratic."

Kurama put on a frustrated and sad look for the instructor and snarled internally.

'I'll rip your eyes out you blind fool. Uchiha has the advantage of having a superior body for the time being but that is only a temporary setback.'

*****BREAK*****

Training continued with Anko. Tree walking had done a bit to help out in the chakra control department and Kurama was now able to spar against his sensei on the side of a tree.

Mitarashi was satisfied with Naruto's progress with poison, thrown weaponry and taijutsu. His inability to get the Bunshin down frustrated her greatly and as she grew more comfortable with the boy she started to make the lessons a bit more painful. All in the name of training of course.

Kurama could feel pain but had long been inured to the costs of it. Having the feeling of your limbs being pinned down by spikes made bruises seem inconsequential. Anko didn't know this though and so he had to pretend that the pain hurt him and motivated him to try harder.

Anko then introduced trap detection and trap making into the curriculum. The basics had been taught in the Academy and Naruto prior to the possession had actually been rather creative in a form of trap making he used for pranks. However the kunoichi had introduced several new concepts that made killing via trap very easy.

Almost too easy really. A simple makibishi could slow down pursuit, however laced with the right poison it could have the victim drop dead within a minute. When using poison all it took was a scratch to take someone out of the fight. Combined with the numerous ways to hide triggers it was a wonder any shinobi ever dared venture out of their home.

Granted, the more powerful shinobi had amazing detection skills. That lesson came through loud and clear. Always be aware of your surroundings.

However Kurama's near awe of poisons did take a blow when Anko discussed how to counteract them.

"Alright kid, I've shown you how deadly poison can be. Now that you have respect for them I'll go over how to neutralize them before you croak."

Kurama waited for Anko to explain further.

"Outside of the obvious such as not getting hit by a poisoned weapon or inhaling poisonous gas there are three main ways to counter a poison user."

She held up a finger, "The first is to develop immunity to certain poisons by getting your body to slowly tolerate small doses of it. The fact that we are ninja makes it easier than the poor civilian saps. Our chakra helps the tolerance process. This is also why shinobi have to drink really strong liquor to get inebriated."

Kurama listened interestedly. Anything that could be used to preserve this body until he learned how to counteract the sealing arts was of use to him.

"But Anko didn't you say there were hundreds of poisons? How would anyone be able to build a tolerance for them all?"

"Got it in one gaki. Developing a tolerance for the commonly used poisons is typically what is done. The more exotic types become more difficult since their rarity means it's hard to get a supply in the first place and even if you did what are the odds you would encounter a shinobi using it?"

Anko walked up a tree and motioned for Naruto to join her. No sense in wasting time while she lectured when he could be getting better with chakra control.

"The second way to counteract poisons is learn **Dokusei** **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique). This is the next jutsu I will teach you. You flood your tenketsu points with chakra and have it circle through your charka network. When done correctly most poisons can be drawn into the network and then expelled through your pores."

Now Kurama was a bit upset. If a simple jutsu could correct all of the wonderfully diabolical poison combinations he had studied then what was the point? With little acting required he pushed more than the appropriate amount of chakra into his feet causing the bark to explode. He landed and looked angrily up at Anko while pointing.

"Why did you make me study all those poisons? What a waste of time!"

Anko smirked and dropped down next to her student.

"Lots of reasons you ungrateful brat! Most genin don't learn that jutsu in the first place, it's typically learned once a shinobi reaches the rank of chūnin. Secondly, it takes a bit of time to work depending on how good you are with the technique. In the middle of the fight it's going to be difficult to use while still fighting. And finally you twit, it doesn't work on all poisons."

Kurama was slightly mollified. Poison would still grant a strong edge in combat and when he thought about it a lot of poisons worked within seconds which wouldn't be enough time to use the technique in the first place.

"Sorry Anko-sensei," he mumbled.

Anko moved on to the third way to counteract poison in the field.

"Antidotes via injections or pills are the final way. Typically if you know the type of poison an enemy will use the local medical nin can have an antidote prepared. Alternatively there are generic antidotes that deal with the most common poisons. As part of the standard chūnin gear you get three of them. For the most part the generic catchalls are rubbish against skilled poison users but fairly effective against amateurs."

She handed Naruto three capsules for his own use.

"Just in case you prick yourself while practicing applying poison to your weapons."

Kurama took the capsules and put them in one of the pouches on his jumpsuit.

"Now let's start getting your body acclimated to some of the poisons frequently used in Hi no Kuni," Anko said with an evil grin.

Using speed that no genin, let alone an Academy student, could match she dashed forward and stuck a senbon into Naruto's shoulder.

Kurama felt the poison seep into the tissue surrounding his shoulder and felt sharp pain spike through that limb. He made Naruto give a cry of pain and there was some honesty in it too. The poison _hurt_. It felt like his entire arm was on fire.

"This little poison is typically used in interrogations as opposed to field work but in a pinch it works fairly well. It's obtained from a plant found only in Hi no Kuni called Fire Thistle. The effect agitates the nerves quite severely, mimicking a burning sensation. It also makes the poisoned area shake causing the infected enemy to be unable to hold weapons or use hand signs."

Kurama didn't like this sensation at all. And he imagined Naruto would take it far worse and so he gave out another scream of pain as he felt the toxin fully take hold of his arm.

Anko watched amused as her student clutched his arm. She was impressed on how the kid grit his teeth and tried to avoid crying out again but this poison wasn't child's play. She grinned as he gave another grunt of anguish.

"So my little gaki I've gotten you up to speed for the Academy. Hell, you'd be fine against most baby faced genin. So our time is done unless you have the balls to stick with my training plan."

Kurama narrowed his eyes dangerously at his sensei. A few bruises he would tolerate easily enough but this was on par with the torment he felt while sealed in Kushina.

"Those generic antidotes will actually fix you right up in just a few minutes. But if you take one then I'm done being your sensei."

Anko looked down on her student who was now writhing on the ground.

Kurama's choice was obvious. Personalized training from a jōnin would be superior to anything he could do on his own. Oh, he would grow stronger by himself, certainly, but not as quickly as he would under Anko's tutelage.

"I'll never give up, BELIEVE IT!"

Orochimaru's apprentice let out a laugh. "I love your spirit kid, and just so you aren't tempted let's make sure you can't go back on your word."

Kurama watched in horror as Anko pulled out another senbon coated with the same substance and drove it into his other shoulder. A fresh wave of searing fire danced along his nervous system.

"The shaking in your hands will go away in about 45 minutes and you'll be able to take one of your capsules. However if you do we are done. That radiating pain you feel will go away in a couple hours if you manage to tough it out.

Kurama shook with pain and fury. How dare this girl reduce him to this state! He could rip her to shreds in an eye blink. He could show her the true meaning of suffering and she had no idea how very close to obliteration she was!

But he would be damned if he failed this test. He was the Kyūbi no Yōko and he would not give into something as paltry as pain.

"What's that brat? Say something?"

"Screw you, I already told you I'll never give up. I'm going to get stronger so I can protect people!"

Anko wasn't quite sure why she did it. Maybe she just wanted to break the stubborn brat. Maybe she just enjoyed the thought of him suffering even worse pain. Maybe she was tired of wasting her afternoons. Ultimately she didn't know why but she wanted to win one over on him. She had planned to give him two doses of the toxin but that was it. She did have a shred of decency left after all.

Instead she took out the vial and coated another senbon. She tossed it casually at his leg. She pulled out another one and threw it at the other leg. A scream was ripped from Naruto's throat as fire coated the boy's entire nervous system.

The kunoichi gave him a cheeky wave and disappeared with the body flicker technique.

Kurama shuddered. It literally felt like he was on fire. The sobs and screams that escaped Naruto's mouth were only partially fake. Minutes ticked by while the four ANBU looked at each other and wondered if they should do anything. Being ANBU they were elite and were familiar with the poison used so they knew it wasn't something that was fatal. With a shrug they chose to do nothing for now and report the incident to the Hokage later.

Kurama snarled and arched his host's back. Twice he almost broke loose from the confines of his host body but each time he drove back the desire with the strength of his pride. He would NOT be defeated by a simple poison. He would not let the snake bitch win one over on him.

Minute after minute passed by until finally his right arm stopped shaking. Now if he chose to he could take the antidote and end the suffering. Here the temptation was greater since giving in would just mean he was out a sensei. Previously it would have meant revealing himself as the Kyūbi and probably being sealed again.

But pride reared up its head again; and self-interest. If he wanted to rise up the ranks quickly having a specialized instructor would help immeasurably. And so he lay there gasping in pain for the next couple of hours. The agony didn't lessen until the last few minutes and then it gradually drained away. He had done it. He lay there enjoying the feeling of his nerves not being drenched in molten lava. After a good long while he painfully got up and made his way back to the apartment.

*****BREAK*****

The Sandaime was furious.

"Are you insane?" He spoke harshly, just barely above a whisper.

Anko could feel the killing intent radiating from the Hokage. No doubt about it, he was pissed.

"My apologies, I was trying to test if he had what it takes to continue…"

Sarutobi slammed a hand on his desk.

"Don't even start! Requiring a test like that of an Academy student is unconscionable."

"My sensei did the same…"

"I said don't start. You were a chūnin at the time. And do you really think comparing yourself to Orochimaru will win you any favors here?"

The kunoichi decided it was a good time to be quiet. She had rarely seen the Hokage so angry. The man could have easily washed his hands of her after Orochimaru's defection; she knew several who had advised him to do so. But instead he had stood up for her and allowed her to continue serving Konoha.

Hiruzen took a deep breath.

"You subjected him to three hours of torment. I've read the reports from T&amp;I and the occasional jōnin sometimes even breaks from that sort of treatment. And this is a boy, not even a shinobi! A student at the Academy. If this was a child from one of the clans they would be demanding your head."

Even as Anko looked down she knew the old man's eyes were resting on her. Weighing what to do with her. She had really screwed up.

"Speak, and no more excuses."

She looked up and said, "I understand what I did was wrong. The only thing I have to say is that Naruto passed the test. Passed a harder test than I took when I was apprenticed to Orochimaru-teme. He's earned the reward of my continued tutelage. Punish me if you will but don't take that away from."

The man known as the 'Professor' eyed her.

'Quite clever Anko. Quite clever indeed.'

He wasn't going to throw away a shinobi of her caliber and her words did have merit. Naruto had suffered through a lot for the opportunity to continue his training.

"Very well. You may continue his training. However you will still be disciplined for your actions. You will forgo all pay for your training of him. You will also be required to complete one D rank mission per day for the next six months. Dismissed."

Anko breathed a sigh of relief after she left the Hokage's presence. It could have been far worse. Abuse of a student could lead to demotion, dismissal or even death. The fact that it was an Academy student made it worse as they were not yet legally adults.

And she couldn't even use the argument that she was trying to get him used to the poison. That kind of training involved a smaller than normal dose so the effect wasn't full-blown. Yes, she had gotten lucky; she suspected it was residual guilt over the Hokage's apprentice placing the cursed seal on her. She would hate doing the D ranked missions and the loss in pay hurt, but in the end she still had her position and wouldn't have to spend any time in confinement.

**AN: **Another chapter on the books! A quick note – while six weeks seems a short time to improve so rapidly keep in mind it happens all the time in Naruto. Sasuke went from not being able to keep track of Lee's movements during the exam and after the one month training he was knocking Gaara around. Let alone Naruto's 2 day S ranked jutsu training… anyway I feel it is a realistic increase of power considering he's been getting personal training from a jōnin.

Also I know Sasuke isn't a fan favorite by any stretch of the imagination but per cannon he was far superior in the Academy and early genin days. It makes sense that after six weeks Kurama can't beat him with Naruto's body. As always please read and review!


	7. Chapter 7: A New Jutsu

**AN:** I've made some minor changes to how genjutsu works in comparison to cannon. Honestly though, the anime is hardly consistent with how they handle things like genjutsu – drives me crazy sometimes so I'm going to stick with this version.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his amazing beta work!

**Chapter 7:** A New Jutsu

The next day Kurama went to the Academy like nothing happened. He also went to the training ground as normal. There Anko was waiting for him.

"You impressed me kid, and that isn't something I say very often."

If Kurama were actually Naruto that would mean something. However he cared not for the kind words of mere humans. They were a means to an end.

"I'll agree to be your sensei until your next graduation test. We'll continue working on the Hebi style, poisons, infiltration, trap detection, chakra control and I'll be throwing in a few jutsu for you too. Sound good?"

Kurama nodded. He made sure his posture was stiff and a bit hostile. He figured that Naruto would be more than a little bent out of shape after being essentially tortured for three hours.

The two got back to work with the previous day hanging over them heavily but neither said another word about it. Anko decided to be relatively nice today in compensation and it was a productive day. Toward the end she handed Naruto a vial.

"This is the toxin created from the Fire Thistle. I've diluted it with water so it only has one tenth the potency that you felt yesterday. Use it daily and in a few weeks your nerves will become accustomed to its presence. I'll give you a higher dosage and in a month or two you'll be completely immune."

Kurama didn't sense any falsehood from her but still responded warily.

"Are you sure? Or is this another test?"

Anko forced a smile onto her face, "No tests, not for a while at least. You just passed a damn tough one."

Kurama nodded and took the vial.

*****BREAK*****

Time passed and four months after they started training together Kurama had now mastered **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique). He was also fairly accurate with senbon and had a few toxins made to lace them with. One was a simple paralytic that numbed the struck area, another was made from the Fire Thistle and the final one was a tranquilizer that could knock an opponent out if the senbon struck a blood vessel properly.

Kurama had also improved his speed and strength. His conditioning and better diet was paying off. While the Uchiha still was his better in raw speed the gap had closed. The last spar with him had seen him score a point before Sasuke won the fight.

That had led to an entertaining encounter where Sasuke had demanded his own personal jōnin instructor. Iruka had said it wasn't an option as the Academy didn't actually have jōnin instructors on staff and that if he wanted one he would need to find one himself. Which turned out to be a disappointing catch 22 for the Uchiha since those who liked teaching already had genin teams and those that didn't like teaching weren't about to start.

It had lit a fire under Sasuke and despite already pushing himself hard in his personal training he increased his efforts. If he wasn't at the Academy, eating or sleeping he was training. Sasuke was still confident that he was a better shinobi; after all the one time dobe was an idiot. And he had more than just taijutsu to call upon. He had learned ninjutsu like all good young Uchiha.

On the other hand he wasn't aware of Naruto's abilities either. Anko was true to her word. After teaching Naruto **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique) she also taught him some additional jutsu. The first was **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique). The technique used chakra as momentum to allow a shinobi to move two to three times faster than normal in a given direction. It wasn't very useful in combat unless you had superb chakra control; however it was a decent escape move if you got a breather and it certainly made traveling short distances a lot quicker.

The next jutsu that was taught was an advanced form of **Nawanuke no Jutsu** (Rope Escape Technique). It combined the natural flexibility needed to fully use the Hebi style as well as using one's chakra to slide out of restraints. If he was ever captured it would be very difficult to keep him prisoner. This didn't come up too often in shinobi conflicts however the Hebi style had such great synergy with it that it seemed criminal to Anko not to teach him it.

Kurama also became immune to the basic paralytic poison he used and was now working on becoming immune to one of the more lethal poisons that was popular during the Third Shinobi World War. It was slow going as the dosage had to be incredibly diluted or death would result. And that would have greatly irritated Kurama.

Things were developing along quite nicely the nine tailed fox thought. Based on observation and comments from the instructors he knew both he and Sasuke were easily upper genin level in terms of ability. Most new genin knew the basic Academy three, were proficient in the Academy taijutsu style and if they were clan children they had clan jutsu to fall back on. Civilians tended to focus on taijutsu or bukijutsu as they had no one to teach them additional jutsu until they graduated.

And he was finally making progress on the basic Bunshin jutsu. While he hadn't been able to create it to the Academy standards his clones could maintain themselves for more than a few seconds. They still didn't look right but it was an improvement. He was still using far too much chakra but Kurama had compensated by creating far more Bunshin than necessary. Currently he was able to create 50 of the sickly illusionary clones. Progress was being made and his chakra control continued to improve. Yes things were progressing nicely.

*****BREAK*****

Anko was enjoying her delicious dango in the company of her friend Kurenai.

"Please don't ask me again; it's embarrassing!"

Kurenai couldn't help but smile at her friend. The no nonsense tough as nails Torture &amp; Interrogation specialist had been doing D ranks every day for awhile. Many shinobi were curious as to why. Did she lose a bet? Was she short on funds? What was going on they wondered.

"Anko they keep asking me and now I'm dying to know myself."

Anko glared at her friend. Their relationship was an interesting one. On the surface there wasn't much in common between the two of them. Kurenai could be described as 'classy' and Anko was anything but. Kurenai was always composed and proper while Anko delighted in making people squirm by making off color remarks or abusing her position to make threats.

But the two of them had hit it off and it was a much needed outlet for Anko to talk to someone normally on a regular basis. Outside of making people uncomfortable, reporting to her boss and torturing her victims she didn't have much human contact until she started training Naruto.

"It really isn't anyone's business!"

Kurenai arched an eyebrow and stared at her friend relentlessly.

Anko gave a grunt, "Fine, but only if you pick up the tab."

The red eyed kunoichi agreed and looked forward to hearing something particularly juicy.

"You know I've been training the Uzumaki kid right? Well I got a bit rough with him during training and the Hokage is making me do these stupid D rank missions."

Kurenai was a bit disappointed. That was it? She also wanted to be a good friend and so she attempted to take her side.

"Too rough? Hokage-sama should have known you weren't going to be very gentle with any student. That really seems unfair to make you do so many D rank missions."

Anko twisted a bit inside. She enjoyed having a friend within the ninja ranks of the village but Kurenai did not understand her at all. She didn't understand just how much she enjoyed her job, how much she _needed_ her job in T&amp;I. If she knew she probably would be too disgusted to even share a table with her.

"Yeah well… the old man has a soft spot for the kid and the village treats him like they treat me so I'm not going to complain about it."

Anko didn't want to think about it or the deception via omission she was engaged in.

"Anyway I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. Now tell me more about the Hokage's son. You said he couldn't keep his eyes off of you after that last mission right?"

It was Kurenai's turn to blush and Anko congratulated herself on successfully deflecting the conversation away from herself.

*****BREAK*****

"All right brat, since you are getting the hang of chakra control I'm going to teach you another important shinobi skill."

Kurama jumped up and down, "Am I going to learn how to breathe fire? Maybe teleport like the Yondaime or are you going to show me a really cool new poison?"

Anko's smile twitched a little bit. He was such a studious pupil and a little perfectionist that she often forgot that he was only eleven years old and very excitable.

"I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself against genjutsu."

Kurama made Naruto's face show disappointment however inside he was thrilled. He had been controlled by genjutsu through the Sharingan. While the Sharingan created a genjutsu far more dangerous and difficult to break than a regular genjutsu one had to start somewhere right?

"Look brat no matter how good you are a simple genjutsu can mean your death on the battlefield. So pay attention!"

Kurama stopped messing around and solemnly nodded.

"All right there are two parts to dealing with genjutsu. The first is realizing you are in one. If you don't realize you are in one you'll never even try to break out of one. The second part should be obvious, how to break out of a genjutsu."

Anko suddenly pulled a kunai seemingly out of nowhere and tossed it at Naruto. Kurama saw the kunai coming and pivoted to the left letting the kunai fly past him.

"Why did you do that?"

"Keeping you on your toes. When you get that focused look it makes me think you've dropped your situational awareness."

Kurama supposed it was an important lesson but for a bijū it wasn't necessary as his senses weren't purely physical.

"The best way to know if you are in a genjutsu is to constantly be aware of your surroundings. Most genjutsu cannot fool all five of your senses. It takes too much chakra and precise control. A lot of them do trick your eyes and your ears but depending on the skill of the wielder there may be inconsistencies."

She saw Naruto squint at her, "So if something changes for no reason I might be in a genjutsu?"

Anko snapped her fingers, "Got it in one!"

"We'll be working on your genjutsu detection for the next few weeks but I'll go ahead and explain how to break out of one. The first method requires a decent amount of chakra control. Chakra constantly flows throughout your body. You can temporarily stop the flow and then immediately create a burst of chakra that will disrupt the genjutsu."

"Awww, Anko-sensei why does everything go back to chakra control?"

Konoha's snake mistress twitched.

'Why does everything go back to chakra? Because you little idiot that is the difference between a shinobi and a regular soldier. We can mold chakra and they can't!'

She didn't voice those thoughts, instead she said, "Hey kid I don't make the rules I just explain them. Now, you are going to close your eyes and at random intervals I'll put you in a mild training genjutsu that will make you see things despite the fact that your eyes are closed. Once you get used to feeling how your chakra is different then we'll do something a bit more interesting."

Kurama closed his eyes and Anko used a training genjutsu on him. Her chakra infiltrated his chakra network and made him see a false image. The image was actually taken from the real world and showed the clearing there were in.

"Feel your chakra, can you sense a difference?"

Kurama could but he wasn't sure Naruto would. To his knowledge Naruto had never been subjected to a genjutsu. Unsure of what the 'normal' response would be he furrowed his forehead and chose uncertainty.

"Umm, maybe? I feel like something is off but I'm not sure what."

Anko released the genjutsu.

"Open your eyes and tell me ten things that were different than the genjutsu."

Kurama opened his eyes and looked around. The genjutsu had been realistic but there were certain things that were missing. For one was the fact that Anko was about two feet to the left of where she was supposed to be. Secondly there were more trees in reality than in the genjutsu. Thirdly… Kurama and his superior demonic senses could spot far more than ten.

'Best to play a bit dense.'

"Well there are more trees and uh the clouds were different?"

Anko narrowed her eyes, "Don't guess!"

The purple haired kunoichi watched Naruto struggle to come up with something.

"This is a lesson you should have already learned. Be aware of your surroundings! Almost no genjutsu is absolutely perfect; partially because the opponent's perspective is different than your own. You need to be able to spot the tiniest details that are off. Otherwise a subtle genjutsu will get you killed far more easily than the more elaborate ones."

"What do you mean?"

"Deflect the senbon I throw at you Naruto."

Anko made a hand seal and Kurama once again felt her chakra enter into Naruto's own network. His sensei then sent two senbon at him aimed for his shoulder. He easily brought up his kunai and deflected the two. He was aware of the third one due to Anko only making her genjutsu a visual one. With his bijū senses he could actually hear the disbursement of air as the senbon sailed through it.

Naruto would not have those senses however and so he let that third invisible senbon strike into his arm.

"Ow, where did that one come from?"

"I created a genjutsu. This one was different from the training genjutsu as I didn't recreate the world and force the image into the eyes. I merely made one small segment of the world invisible, effectively creating a blind spot. If you aren't aware of your surroundings and you don't feel the chakra tendril interact with your network in an instant you can be killed."

Kurama had to admit Anko was an excellent sensei. The practical example of a very real life scenario would motivate any student.

"Now you see why this is important gaki. Be aware of your surroundings and be aware of your own internal chakra network. That's a twofold defense. We'll be practicing both during each of our practice sessions."

"OK but can you show me how to break it now?"

Anko suppressed a sigh. "Learning how to break it is useless unless you know how to detect it! The faster you get it the faster we can move on to how to counter a genjutsu."

Kurama made an annoyed face with his host's visage that he knew would irk Anko.

'Ah, this never grows tiresome.'

Anko forced a smile to her own features and desperately hoped that there was someone she could torture back at T&amp;I headquarters.

*****BREAK*****

It had now been six months since the nine tailed fox had begun his tutelage under Anko. In that time Naruto's body had been almost completely remade. He was faster, stronger and far more agile. In terms of taijutsu he was beginning to truly master the Hebi style. His sensei had started to teach him more advanced techniques that caused opponents to subconsciously think that an attack was coming from one direction merely due to the movements of his muscles and the angle of attack. Misdirection, varying speeds and brutal attacks on the weak parts of the body were the highlight of the taijutsu style.

While some of the moves simply wouldn't be appropriate to use in a school yard spar they were still practiced during training sessions. Knife hand to the throat, elbow to the back of the neck, fingers jabbed into a pressure point and kicks to the temple were all designed to kill or incapacitate a target.

Another benefit of the taijutsu style was that it was still useful against an opponent wielding a weapon such as a katana or tanto. Many taijutsu styles had a difficult time dealing with opponents that had a sword; however the odd movements and extreme flexibility of the Hebi style allowed the user to still be highly lethal to an armed opponent.

Taijutsu was a staple but the focus over the last two months had been genjutsu awareness and internalized awareness of the chakra network. In an honest self assessment Kurama would agree he had some trouble with detecting someone else's chakra infiltrating the network. To be sure he was better than a snot nosed Academy or even a genin but for him anything less than perfection was irritating. He postulated that it was due to the chakra network not truly being his own. Anko wrote it off as Naruto having very large chakra reserves which made it difficult to detect the small amounts of chakra in his system. Kurama supposed it could be both.

That being said he was steadily allowing more and more of his ability to notice everything around him in near perfect detail to surface. It was gradual at first but soon he revealed he was able to detect most genjutsu by the slight differences they had with reality. Anko was satisfied with the progress and moved on to showing him how to break a genjutsu.

Here Kurama had an incredible advantage. With the massive chakra reserves he possessed the flush of chakra would easily drive out foreign chakra. Every genjutsu in Anko's repertoire could be easily defeated by **Genjutsu Kai** (Genjutsu Dissipation). The snake summoner was curious how effective Naruto's ability would be against a genjutsu specialist like Kurenai but she hadn't invited her friend over. Kurenai was hard at work preparing for the upcoming jōnin assessment and she didn't want to interfere with her training regimen. In any case his genjutsu dispersal ability didn't need to be able to defeat high level genjutsu. It wasn't reasonable to expect an Academy student or a genin to be able to disperse that powerful of a technique, just like it wouldn't be reasonable to expect someone that age to be able to handle a jōnin taijutsu encounter.

Satisfied with the progress with **Genjutsu Kai** (Genjutsu Dissipation) she had taken great pleasure in showing the second way to disperse a genjutsu and that was with pain. It was quite entertaining to see him stab his own nerves with his senbon needles. It worked quite effectively too, but just to make sure he got it right they practiced it quite a bit. The senbon was much more efficient and less damaging than using a kunai, though that would work in a pinch.

With that out of the way it was on to the next subject. Mitarashi was surprised by how quickly he mastered things. The kid was going to be a phenomenal shinobi. As long as he didn't do something utterly stupid, which he was prone to do when learning new things. But once he had something mastered it worked without fail. He had already gone well past the learning curriculum she had expected even in the best case scenario.

'Well I guess it's time to reward the little runt with an advanced jutsu. He won't be a runt much longer either. That last growth spurt was quite impressive, glad it didn't fuck up his taijutsu timing.'

As normal Naruto met his sensei after training, this time Anko had a very wide grin.

"Your incredible and sexy sensei is now going to reward you for being such a diligent little worker!"

Kurama made Naruto smile, "Yatta! Are you going to teach me a super cool jutsu? Maybe how to breathe fire? I really want to know how to do that!"

'What is it with him and breathing fire?'

Anko couldn't resist messing with him.

"A new jutsu? Really? No, I was going to treat you to some dango…"

Kurama made Naruto's face fall in disappointment, however he was now easily able to read Anko's seemingly mercurial moods. She was lying and that made him happy. Learning new ways to kill people was always enjoyable.

Anko then grinned, "Kidding gaki, you'll be learning a jutsu but it isn't going to be easy. This is a B ranked ninjutsu that with your chakra control you really have no business learning."

"Then why am I learning it Anko-sensei?"

"Because it fits with what I've taught you before and with your body becoming acclimated to your paralytic poison I'm going to show you a new delivery system."

Kurama listened with all ears.

"It's called **Dokugiri** (Poison Mist) and it's actually a very flexible technique. Typically the person who uses this ninjutsu is an **Iryō-nin** (Medical nin) because of the complexity and the risk of poisoning yourself. Let me show you how it works."

Anko inhaled and then blew out a purplish haze of smoke. It expanded to a twenty foot diameter, which was far more air than any one individual could possibly have within their lungs.

"The poison that you breathe out is up to you. Normally in combat this is a lethal poison where one inhalation will kill your opponent, however anything that concentrated and lethal could kill or harm you as well. Using supreme chakra control a medical nin will create a chemical reaction within their lungs and coat said lungs with a thin layer of chakra. They then constantly and rapidly refill their lungs while they exhale. A single misstep and they die."

Kurama had to blink in response to this. That sounded… complicated and exceedingly dangerous.

"Of course a medical nin is used to life and death situations where absolute chakra control is needed. Obviously this isn't suited for you at all but I'm still going to teach it to you. You're going to cheat."

"Cheat?"

"Yup, you'll be skipping the most dangerous and important step, the coating of your lungs, airways and mouth with your chakra. You're developed immunity allows you to safely inhale the gaseous version of your liquid paralytic."

Kurama saw how clever the trick was. He would not have to split his concentration with another task, he could simply focus on metabolizing his chakra into the paralyzing haze and then exhaling it. Still that sounded quite difficult.

"And in the future if you ever actually get good with chakra control you can always learn to create additional types of poisons."

The two began the training. To say that it was difficult was an understatement. Knowing intellectually how a process is done isn't the same as manipulating your chakra to actually do it. Their first day working on it had led to Kurama not accomplishing much more than passing gas uncontrollably. Anko found this highly amusing and Kurama felt a spike of irritation. He disliked being out of control of the body he was slowly taming and turning into a weapon.

The weeks ahead promised to put his new chakra control levels to the test. And he had another spar with Sasuke scheduled at the Academy. Kurama was confident he could now beat the boy but rising from dead last to the absolute best in the Academy might garner unwanted attention. It was a delicate balancing act in his mind. He wanted others to view Naruto as worthy so that additional training opportunities and advancement in rank occurred but he didn't want them to get too suspicious.

'I'll let the Uchiha brat win for now. One day though I'll rip those damnable eyes out.'

**AN: **A bit of a slow burn as Kurama advances Naruto's body. I'm probably going to wrap up the one-on-one training with Anko next chapter. I feel like parts of it may be getting redundant. I've decided what team 'Naruto' will be on. I've seen similar ideas in other stories but not this specific one so in the interests of being original I'm going to go with it. Any guesses on what it is? Oh, and please review!


	8. Chapter 8: Graduation

**AN: **I feel like I've rushed the end of the training but I was getting a bit tired of writing it. On to team selections!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his amazing beta work!

**Chapter 8:** Graduation

Hinata had stopped stalking Naruto after the horrible tragedy that had occurred. Part of it was the change that had occurred in his personality since the deaths of his few friends. He was still Naruto, it was just his attitude that had changed. He was no longer care-free and rambunctious. The boy no longer pulled pranks and was no longer the class clown. There were moments where his old self shined through but it was like looking at a different person.

There were some positives to the change. She had noticed he was able to get food from the vendors more easily. Maybe they felt bad for him? Either way the improvement to his diet had led to him growing taller and more muscular, a change that her eyes very much appreciated. She blushed at the thought and pressed her fingers together nervously as if someone could somehow sense those carnal thoughts.

Naruto's own example that he set was one that Hinata had taken strength from. She was doing better in her taijutsu spars but it still wasn't enough for her father. And now looking at Naruto as he easily defeated Kiba in the sparring ring she was more confused than ever.

Her feelings of longing and desire were still there. But was it still love?

*****BREAK*****

Three more months of training had passed with Anko. Kurama's skills were sharpening. He had successfully learned **Dokugiri** (Poison Mist) and had moved on to water walking. His ability to use Naruto's chakra was still hampered by the massive reservoirs of it. He had spent many days soaking wet much to Anko's amusement.

His knowledge of poisons grew and he learned that the true art of poison wasn't in copying what others had used before but in concocting one's own deadly mixture. Creating a poison with no known antidote was what had put _Akasuna no Sasori_ (Sasori of the Red Sand) on the map. The art was intellectually stimulating but it would be no more than a diversion for the nine tailed fox once he had someone to teach him fuinjutsu.

In the meantime he continued to learn the intricacies of the advanced Hebi style moves. He considered himself to be solidly chūnin level in pure taijutsu. With a number of useful jutsu under his belt he remained pleased with Anko's mentorship.

Anko was looking forward to the next level of 'fun' with her student. Today she would be teaching him about killing intent. Civilians had been known to pass out or soil themselves when subjected to enough killing intent. When the difference in mental fortitude and strength was great enough lesser ranked shinobi had been known to freeze with terror and a few notable incidents were recorded where enemy shinobi even killed themselves to get away from the visions of death.

It wasn't a genjutsu but when the mind was pushed hard enough it played tricks. Needless to say Anko was going to love petrifying the little gaki. Becoming accustomed to killing intent was a valid skill and the Hokage wouldn't be able to reprimand her for scaring her student shitless. Rubbing her hands in anticipation she waited for Naruto to finish his day at the Academy.

'Ah and there he is. This is going to be so much fun.'

She watched Naruto stopped and set his things aside. His eyes roved over the training field just as she had taught him.

"What are you going to show me today Anko-sensei?"

Anko smiled brightly, "I'm going to show a particularly fun technique, but before you learn how to wield it you need to learn how to resist it."

Kurama knew that his sensei's smile was genuine which meant that she was going to do something that involved him suffering in some way. He wasn't wrong; suddenly Anko unleashed her fully powered killing intent. Trained by Orochimaru and Ibiki it was a match for nearly any jōnin in the village.

The nine tailed fox was inured to killing intent. No mortal could unleash the waves of hate and desire to kill like a bijū can. He knew what Anko was expecting, for Naruto to freeze in terror, maybe cry a little or even pass out. And while his skills in deception were impeccable he decided to have fun antagonizing his sensei instead.

He let his features stay impassive and looked at her.

"I don't think I'm in a genjutsu but you're staring really hard at me. Are you going to show me the technique or what?"

Anko stared at Naruto in astonishment. She had given off enough killing intent to scare the pants off of seasoned genin and make chūnin tremble. Even another jōnin would have at least felt it and reacted. And this little brat seemed not to be even able to sense it.

'How is this possible? Is it because he was born the night the Kyūbi was unleashed? Or is it because he's a jinchūriki? Damn it, the little shit always ruins my fun!'

Kurama could almost see the steam coming out of Anko's ears. It was a good thing his control was what it was otherwise he probably couldn't help but laugh at the sheer frustration in Anko's eyes.

Anko's tone was clipped, "Never mind. You possess a rare ability to be completely oblivious when it comes to killing intent. That's great. Happy for you. Now let's spar."

Kurama snickered internally as Anko proceeded to drop the kid gloves and beat the tar out of Naruto. Nothing she did was lethal or would cause any lasting damage but her attacks were more vicious than normal and the jab between the legs was uncalled for.

Quite bruised and sore after two hours of sparring Anko helped him to his feet.

"Not bad gaki. Your stamina was always great but you kept up with me and maintained your chakra control throughout the entire fight. You're going to crush the competition when you get signed up for your first chūnin exam."

"Believe it! And then I'm going to be a jōnin and then I'll finally be strong enough."

"Just remember kid, there is always someone stronger out there."

'No Mitarashi there isn't, once I find a way to protect myself from fuinjutsu and the hated Sharingan's genjutsu abilities I will have no equal. I will discard this useless husk and tear this village to shreds.'

*****BREAK*****

Anko was still pissed that Naruto had been immune to her killing intent. Even worse there wasn't even anyone to torture back at HQ. Instead she sought out Kurenai and grabbed some dango. She enjoyed tormenting the kid but she was still proud of the little bastard.

"I'm telling you Kurenai, if you have an opportunity to get him on your team you should take it. The kid is going to go places."

Kurenai took a sip of her drink.

"He doesn't sound like he would be a promising genjutsu specialist."

"True, he'd be stuck with the blunt end of the genjutsu arts."

The 'blunt end' was a derogatory term for genjutsu that didn't rely on stealth and trickery. Instead of fooling the enemy shinobi it overloaded the senses completely leaving the victim no doubt that they were in a genjutsu. There was no real art involved though it was still difficult to use. It required a heavy amount of chakra expenditure and could still be broken the same way other genjutsu could be broken.

Like all branches of the shinobi arts the skill of the user mattered a great deal. The best example of 'blunt genjutsu' was the Nidaime's personal genjutsu, the **Kokuangyo no Jutsu** (Infinite Darkness Technique). The second Hokage had pushed that type of genjutsu to the limit of its effectiveness, creating a genjutsu that was nearly impossible to break. Kurenai did not have the skill to replicate that type of technique though she had tried.

The idea of Naruto progressing down that branch of genjutsu that far was unlikely in the minds of both kunoichi.

Anko continued, "But even so he would enhance any team he is on. I've taught him a lot. He knows how to make and use poisons. He can make antidotes for the most common poisons. Incredible taijutsu for his age. He's a chakra powerhouse with amazing levels of stamina. Naruto is going to be a shinobi for the history books."

Kurenai smiled at her friend's pride. It was obvious that her friend cared for the boy. Other than herself Anko didn't form relationships with those around her. It was good to see and she would be happy to have Naruto on her team. The genjutsu mistress was still on cloud nine after passing the jōnin exams herself. In three short months she would be in charge of three genin graduates of the Academy. And even though the genin test was supposed to weed out a large number she was going to make sure her team passed. This was her passion; she would help teach the next generation.

Though in all likelihood she would have little input on the team makeup. But if her opinion was asked she would state her preference plainly.

"I'll remember that after the graduation Anko."

Anko finished another stick and looked at her friend's plate. "You going to finish that?"

Kurenai shook her head with amusement. She wasn't a particular fan of dango but it was one of the few things that made Anko happy which meant they often ate there. She smiled as her friend greedily downed another chunk of her favorite food.

*****BREAK*****

It was a long final three months for Kurama. The Academy had always been annoying but now with none of the other students proving a worthy match in the spars it was holding him back. He could have spent those eight hours doing further training as opposed to sitting through tedious lectures.

Not wishing to completely waste time he did try to do something productive. He didn't perform any overt chakra control exercises but he did use a form of the tree walking exercise. By using the floor and the furniture he sat on he expanded his chakra control and his muscular system.

Using the same concept as the tree walking exercise he stuck his feet to the floor and would then attempt to lift them. The more he flexed his muscles to raise his feet the more chakra he poured in to make them 'stick.' He had to be careful not to damage the floor beneath him but it was decent low key resistance training if one did it for hours on end. The benefits to his chakra control were more important.

Anko had been running more comprehensive training exercises lately. He would have to hide in the woods and evade capture by her for as long as he could. The role was reversed and he would have to find her while at the same time he had to be wary for the sophisticated traps she set. Most of her traps were poisoned and he had to quickly use **Dokusei** **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique) on more than one occasion. Kurama mastered a couple more poisons and became fully resistant to his lethal one. He also was starting on becoming resistant to a few of the lesser known varieties in Hi no Kuni.

But at long last it was time for the genin graduation test. The first part was a written exam that Kurama could have scored perfectly on. Some of the concepts were a bit advanced for Academy students which he figured was purposefully done to separate out the true geniuses from those who were just good at rote memorization. Either way he wasn't going to showcase his superior intellect and decided to merely pass with an average score.

During the physical portion he impressed both Iruka and Mizuki. Mizuki in particularly had been frustrated fighting against the Hebi style. He hadn't even needed to use his full speed or strength against the irritating chūnin**. **

The jutsu portion was also simply done. He had finally mastered the Bunshin and was able to make clones without any problems.

Iruka smiled at him, "Well done Naruto. You pass with flying colors. Your physical and ninjutsu scores were top notch and your exam scores were passing. You easily finished in the number two spot of the class."

Kurama flashed him the victory sign and replied, "Yeah and soon I'm going to get a sensei who is going to teach me really cool jutsu. Not like the lame ones we have to do at the Academy!"

Iruka chuckled at his exuberance. The boy had come a long way from the broken shell he had been after the deaths of Teuchi and Ayame. The lessons with Anko had turned him into a prodigy second only to the Uchiha. He ruffled the boys hair and sent him on his way so that he could test the next would be shinobi.

*****BREAK*****

Hiruzen met with the instructors of the class. It was time to decide the makeup of the new genin cells. The Hokage looked over the results and saw that he now had a difficult choice in terms of what tradition should be followed.

One tradition had it that teams should be balanced and that the rookie of the year and the top kunoichi of the year should be paired with the 'dobe', the dead last of the class. Based on the class standings that would place Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru together. The problem was that this was in direct contradiction to the other tradition that had been expected from the class. He was thinking of the clan heirs of Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi.

"Hmm, Iruka-san how well do Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino get along?"

"Chōji and Shikamaru get along just fine Hokage-sama however Ino cares little for either boy. In time she might mature but she has an infatuation with Sasuke."

The Sandaime took a puff on his pipe. It was a bit of a conundrum. The desire to be unbiased was prevalent but he knew that most of the genin who graduated would fail the test to become fully fledged genin under a jōnin instructor. If he kept the Ino-Shika-Cho combination together it would place Naruto on a team with two other civilians. However if he followed the tradition that put the Sannin together it would allow Naruto to join team 10 under his son.

Not that failing the jōnin test spelled the end of someone's career but it put it on a different track. The remedial teamwork exercises frustrated many and they would often drop out or go into the administrative side of shinobi work. It wasn't shameful holding the position of the Hokage's secretary or one of the other administrative tasks but it was a waste of potential. Others would eventually be used to 'fill' holes in current teams from genin who suffered career ending injuries or death.

"I've made my decision. Team one will consist of…" Hokage went down the line of all the teams. Team seven would consist of Sasuke, Shikamaru and Sakura. Team eight would be the tracking team of Kiba, Shino and Hinata. Team ten would be Naruto, Chōji and Ino.

"Hai Hokage-sama," Iruka replied. It would be interesting seeing how the teams progressed. He would be keeping tabs on young Naruto's career.

*****BREAK*****

Mizuki had failed. He had lied to Noburu and told him if he stole a specific scroll it would be proof that he was worthy to be on the same team as Sasuke. The little fool utterly failed and had then ratted him out. Now it was Mizuki who was on the run. Luckily for him he had planned for this eventuality and was prepared. Now however he would be a missing nin. He snarled with hatred and ran on into the night.

*****BREAK*****

It was the day everyone would find out on what team they were on. Predictably the day started with a shouting match between Ino and Sakura that for the hundredth time threatened to crack the ancient fox's longstanding patience.

The auditory torment ended when Iruka came in and made both of them sit elsewhere.

"I have your team assignments. I know all of you will make Konoha proud. Always remember we are all comrades."

Kurama tapped his foot impatiently as Iruka prattled on about the vaunted 'Will of Fire.' Finally he was done and the names started being called out.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Shikamaru Nara will be team seven. Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

"Yes, take that Ino-pig! True love conquers all!"

"Hnn."

"Troublesome."

Iruka continued, "Team eight will consist of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyūga and Shino Aburame. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yūhi."

Hinata had mixed feelings about Naruto but had still hoped that she would be placed on his team so that she could work them out. Other than that she wasn't disappointed. Kiba's boisterous nature was similar to the old Naruto and Shino was always respectful and polite.

"Team nine is still an existing genin cell so we'll move on to team ten."

Iruka cleared his throat. "Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka and Chōji Akimichi will be in team ten with Asuma Sarutobi as your sensei."

Kurama could tolerate the team selection. Ino was a shade less useless than the other kunoichi in the class. Chōji was docile enough and would go with the flow, which would be helpful as Kurama intended to control the team dynamic. There was no way he would allow either of them to slow him down. Chūnin exams occurred every six months and the first opportunity would be in the next four months. While it was rare for rookie teams to enter he would drag them kicking and screaming to the necessary proficiency.

The nine tailed fox didn't know much about Asuma but if he was a Sarutobi the man was probably skilled. It would be interesting to see how another jōnin operated. Shinobi were heavily specialized which meant that the skills Anko possessed were probably different than Asuma's.

"Good luck to all of you, your jōnin commanders will be here soon."

Shikamaru leaned back and closed his eyes. He was irritated with himself. He had assumed that all he needed to do was pass and he would be with his friend Chōji. Yes he would have had to put up with the blond kunoichi but it wouldn't have been so bad. He didn't realize that they would try to balance the teams by placing the dobe of the class with the best of the class. The logic was clear now after the fact when it was too late to do anything about it.

'What a drag, hopefully I can get a nap in.'

*****BREAK*****

Kurama was impressed the first time he saw Asuma. The bearded man had a relaxed look about him but it was obvious to one such as Kurama that the man carried lethal potential about him. Looks could be deceiving but the bijū could easily tell the power the man had if a confrontation should occur. In his natural form he could crush him like a bug but within the confines of Naruto's body he could be beaten as easily as Anko defeated him.

"Team ten? Follow me." The smoking jōnin commanded.

Ino had not been happy with the team selections. She took the lead and stalked angrily behind him.

Chōji munched on a bag of chips as they walked to one of the nearby Academy training areas.

"I'll cut to the chase kids. You have one more test before you can call yourself genin."

Ino protested loudly but Asuma just chuckled, "Don't get mad at me. I don't make the rules; I've just decided to live by them. Well most of them."

Kurama asked, "What kind of test?"

He took a final drag of his cigarette and then flicked it away.

"A test to determine if you become my students or if you get sent back to the Academy in disgrace. If you manage to beat my little test I'll get to know you a little better. For now just meet back here at 9:00 AM. Come with all of your shinobi gear."

Ino protested, "You never answered what kind of test it was! How are we supposed to prepare?"

Asuma shrugged, "I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he made a hand seal and dashed off with a **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique).

Kurama wasn't worried about another test and that meant he had time to see if Anko had any parting words of wisdom for him. She could stuff those words but he was curious if she had a final jutsu to show him.

"I'm going to go train so I can beat Asuma-sensei's test! See you guys later."

Chōji responded with an amiable goodbye while Ino stalked off for her own home.

**AN:** I haven't seen this exact version of team 10 before – however if anyone has please send me a link to a story like that. I'm curious on how other people have tackled a group like this.

Also… review please! Reviews let me know people are enjoying what I'm writing and give me inspiration to keep the story going.


	9. Chapter 9: Genin Test

**AN: **I've made some minor changes to Asuma's history here. And also elemental affinities might sound a bit different than cannon; in any event I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 9: **Genin Test

Anko wasn't privy to the team selections so she was very curious what they would end up being. She hoped that her friend Kurenai would have Naruto on her team. On the other side of the coin that would mean the only two people she gave a damn about could be taken out in a single mission.

'I'm not going to think about that.'

The torture specialist wasn't kept waiting long and soon she spotted her blond headed protégé. She launched a few kunai at moderate speeds at him that he easily deflected.

"Don't keep me waiting brat, who did you get as your sensei?"

She watched his expression as he smiled.

"It's Asuma. But that isn't the best part. I'm not stuck on a team with Sasuke-teme!"

Anko rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he still cared about the Uchiha. In her eyes he had surpassed the massacre survivor months ago.

On occasion Naruto would surprise her with his perceptiveness, this was one of those times.

"It's not that I'm worried about beating him in a fight. I just don't like him."

Anko gave him a grin, "Fair enough. Now who else is on your team?"

"A Yamanaka named Ino and an Akimichi named Chōji. Ino's annoying but Chōji is all right."

She frowned at him. "Look gaki, do you want to make chūnin as soon as you can?"

He nodded.

"Then tell me each of their strengths and weaknesses and how you are going to address them."

"Does this have anything to do with the genin test?"

Anko shook her head, "Maybe. Each instructor is different but that's not why I brought it up. The chūnin exams**, **especially the ones held in Konoha, focus on teamwork. Even if you are ready for the next level you'll be held back if you have a weak spot on your team."

Anko saw the boy sigh in frustration and think about it for a few moments.

"All right let's start with Ino. Her taijutsu is better than most of the other girls but it's still weak. I don't know much about her clan jutsu but it is useful in interrogation and from what I understand it can be used to take over an opponent's body for a short period of time. Her chakra control is excellent; she was a close second behind Sakura-chan." He squinted, "She's bossy and headstrong and will try to lead the team if no one stops her."

"Good, and Chōji?"

"His taijutsu potential is good. The few times he has actually gotten upset about something he strikes swiftly and with superior levels of strength. On the downside when he isn't angry he is timid and overly cautious. His ninjutsu involves clan based attacks that are relatively easy to counter. His chakra control is average and he has superior levels of stamina. He isn't a leader and will follow whoever takes charge."

Anko graced her student with a smile, "Good. It is important to be aware of people just as much as you are aware of your surroundings. More than one shinobi has been killed by an enemy in a Henge."

Naruto looked impatient and Anko suppressed a sigh. The boy was after a jutsu, she should have figured.

"Now tell me what you will be doing in order to get your team in shape."

"I'll get them to train more and point out their weaknesses."

"How will you get them to train more?"

"Um, by asking them to?" Naruto's voiced trailed off at end.

"If that works, great, but most shinobi are proud. You'll need to dangle an incentive in front of them or get your sensei to push them. I don't know Asuma well but I do know he is laid back so he likely won't be the one pushing them.

Impatience was clear on Naruto's face, "All right I get the point, but I can't put a plan together until I get to know them better!"

Anko debated about holding out on the kid just to frustrate him but decided he had taken enough abuse over the year.

"Since I can tell you don't care about your sensei's words of wisdom I'll just got ahead and give you the present now.

'Kami, the brat is practically drooling.'

"Most don't learn how to use elemental jutsu until they are chūnin but since you were lucky enough to train under the amazing Anko Mitarashi you're already skilled enough to take on most chūnin**. **The first step to learning elemental jutsu is to figure out your natural affinity. From there I'll give you the corresponding jutsu scroll for your affinity."

Anko whipped out a sheet of chakra paper and handed it to Naruto.

"All you need to do is push some chakra into the paper and we'll see what your natural affinity is."

Naruto eagerly took the paper and pushed chakra into it.

After a moment Anko said, "Any day now."

"I'm doing it! Did you give me a dud on purpose?"

Anko scowled and yanked the paper out of Naruto's hands. It _was_ possible that the specially created chakra paper was a 'dud' as he called it. She pushed some of her chakra into it and the piece of paper instantly turned to ash.

Anko was at a loss. "Well this is unexpected. I've never heard of this before but it looks like you don't have an affinity for any type of elemental chakra."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, this is a new one for me. Normally everyone has an affinity for one type of chakra. I was going to give you a D ranked ninjutsu of the type you had an affinity for."

Naruto had a panicked expression, "Does this mean I'll never be able to do cool ninjutsu?"

Anko shook her head, "No, most jōnin end up learning two different types of elemental jutsu. Their second isn't something they start with an affinity for, however after significant use it ends up being a second affinity. But it probably means it will be harder for you to learn."

Naruto kicked the ground, "That's so unfair! Fine can I get all five scrolls?"

"No, I'll only give you one. It will also include instructions on how to master the elemental change. You have to learn how to convert the normal chakra you have into the appropriate corresponding type. I won't lie to you kid this isn't something you can learn overnight. And you had better not let up on your taijutsu training while you attempt to master it!"

"I promise I won't, now let me know what jutsu I'm going to get!"

"You're such a kid sometimes."

"I'm 12!"

"And that headband means you're an adult that can and will kill for the village. Remember you're a reflection on me now so if you screw things up and use that excuse you're going to regret it!"

Naruto put his hands up, "All right! Can I please have the jutsu now?"

Anko didn't bother suppressing her sigh this time, "Sure. Here is the scroll on how to transform your chakra into Doton type chakra. I think it will be the most valuable since it's not exactly common in Hi no Kuni."

Her student read over the exercises to learn how to change his chakra and then took the second scroll. The scroll outlined **Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Headhunter Technique). The D ranked jutsu used chakra to part the earth and allow him to travel short distances underground in order to pull someone down into the earth. It softened the earth below the opponent as well to allow the burial technique to work. If successful it would leave only the enemy's head visible and effectively trap all but the strongest shinobi.

He looked up, "Wow this is awesome, thank you Anko-sensei!"

"Don't mention it. This ends our training together but if you ever need advice or help let me know. I wasn't kidding when I said you were a reflection on me. Go out there and impress the hell out of this village so I can show everyone what an awesome sensei I am."

Naruto smiled at her and they said goodbye.

'I'm going to miss the little gaki.'

*****BREAK*****

Kurama would also miss Anko. She had been… diverting. Seeing her attempt to torment him only for him to seemingly innocently avoid her schemes never stopped being amusing. More importantly she was competent and had done an excellent job with helping hone his host's body.

Not having an elemental affinity was rather disturbing. Every shinobi had one but he did not. He knew Naruto should have one as well. Did jinchūriki naturally not have any affinities? Or was he special since whatever animating force had once existed in his host was gone? Being found out was a concern but it would seem a stretch for them to assume a full possession simply because he didn't display an elemental affinity.

In either event he planned on learning **Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Headhunter Technique) as soon as possible. The jutsu seemed incredibly useful and presented a whole new vector of attack. Now it only remained to be seen how quickly he could learn it. Learning how to manipulate the nature of chakra didn't sound easy but he was confident in his abilities. He was the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, the most powerful of all the bijū. This was just another step on the path.

*****BREAK*****

It had been a frustrating night for Kurama. Anko had made it clear it wouldn't be easy but his attempts to transform his chakra into earth chakra had been slow going. Who was he kidding? It wasn't slow going it was glacial. The first step was to take a clump of dirt and wad it into a ball and hold it. From there he would attempt to flatten the ball using nothing but chakra. He thought it moved… once.

He had to put a halt to his efforts and rest Naruto's body and so he had reluctantly done so for a few hours. Now it was time to pass his genin test.

The day still clung to its morning chill but by noon it would be another warm day in Fire Country. He arrived a bit early and saw Ino and Chōji as they came to the meeting point. They exchanged greetings. Chōji was amiable as usual and Ino seemed less combative. She did look nervous though.

Asuma arrived precisely on time with a cigarette in his mouth. "Well you kids look anxious. Want to hear about the test?"

They did and Asuma explained. "Unlike others I prefer to lay my cards on the table. Konoha shinobi tactics are based on the belief that three genin can take on a chūnin and three chūnin can take on a jōnin. Three jōnin should be able to take on any A ranked shinobi in the bingo book."

All three listened attentively.

"You'll have two hours to prove to me you can work as a team effectively to take me on. No I don't expect you to be able to beat me but you do need to impress me. This is a pass or fail test for everyone. You either all pass or you all fail. I'll give you ten minutes to strategize and then my timer begins. Oh and unless you come at me with the intent to kill you won't be able to succeed."

Kurama decided it would be best to mention the lethal poison he had.

"Asuma-sensei, are you sure about that? I have a number of poisons I can use, one of which is lethal."

Asuma blinked at him. "Shit kid, what are they teaching you at the Academy these days?"

"I was taught poison use by a supplemental instructor."

Asuma took a drag from his tobacco stick and shrugged. "Normally I'd say bring it on but since I don't know how proficient you are I don't want to risk your teammates getting hurt if you miss or they get in your way. Everything else is fine but no lethal poisons."

The jōnin sensei gave an amused look at Ino who shivered slightly at the casual announcement that Naruto carried lethal poisons on him. She knew from her knowledge of botany how dangerous poison could be and she had been severely admonished by her father about never attempting to use it without a dedicated instructor overseeing her.

"No more questions? Good, I'll be within a one mile radius of this point and I'll leave you privacy to strategize."

Asuma used **Shunshin no Jutsu** (Body Flicker Technique) and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

First step was to create some basic traps. Nothing terribly fancy, in fact most of them were designed so that even Academy students could detect them. He put a couple of difficult ones in as well which would require a teammate to untangle the victim.

He really should have read the files for everyone. He didn't know much about any of them. He knew generally what an Akimichi and a Yamanaka could do but had no clue about Naruto. He knew that he was the container of the nine tailed fox and that meant the villagers despised him. He also knew that the kid had a reputation for pranks that had ended after the murder of the owners of a ramen stand he had frequented.

Learning how to handle lethal poison while still in the Academy was impressive but also worrisome. Assuming he passed the team he would need to find out just how competent he was and if he should even be playing around with that stuff.

The bearded jōnin wondered how the team would perform on this test. Unlike others who gave this test he did like to put his cards on the table. It was ridiculous to put together a test when the test takers didn't know what they needed to do to pass. He remembered when he had been given the bell test and had failed initially because he didn't work with his genin teammates. He had been told to get the bell and he had gotten the damned bell!

'And dear old dad wasn't very helpful when I complained to him. Now that I think of it that's probably what lead me on the path to leaving Konoha for awhile.'

Needless to say unlike most who failed the bell test it didn't have a significant impact on his career as a shinobi. Now as a jōnin instructor he would make sure not to give others the same old test that was popular forty years ago.

'All right kids, show me what you can do.'

*****BREAK*****

Kurama took charge.

"We'll travel single file 10 feet apart from each other. Watch where I go just in case he put up any traps."

Ino had been wary around Naruto ever since that spar where she took the kick to the neck but her natural assertiveness took over.

"Who put you in charge?"

Kurama gave her an even look, "I placed higher in the class than either of you."

"But I placed higher in the written exam portion which shows that I'm smarter and can make better decisions."

Kurama felt an intense desire to rip the annoying girl's head off. He took a deep breath.

"I've had more experience in evading capture and in finding people due to my additional training. I know what I am doing. Trust me and we'll pass this test, believe it!"

Ino looked ready to argue but the intensity of Naruto's stare made her pause. It warred with the casual sounding "believe it" he tacked on to the end of his response. She swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Good, now when we encounter Asuma we need to work together since this is all about teamwork. Ino I want you to provide ranged support with kunai. Chōji I want you to help me fight him in close combat but I want you to hang back a bit until it looks like we have an opening."

"You got it," he said in between a mouthful of chips.

"And lose the chips; we need to be as quiet as possible."

They wouldn't get the drop on Asuma; however he would probably be unimpressed if they didn't use any stealth at all.

Kurama could detect the smell of tobacco coming north east of their position. It was like a trail he could follow, however he didn't want to reveal his enhanced senses so he took them on a northern route slightly away from where Asuma was probably located.

The team stayed on the ground with Kurama's sharp senses warily on the lookout for any traps. Ino managed to be stealthy but Chōji made far too much noise.

'On the list of things to fix before the exams.'

He took them toward the right and saw the first trap. It was a simple snare. Behind him he heard Ino say, "Naruto look out."

Forcing himself not to snap at her he turned to face her and put a finger to his lips.

Ino glared at him but continued on silently. Kurama navigated past another pair of traps, a trip wire and another snare. He could feel Ino tense up behind him, ready to say something, but she managed to stop herself.

Kurama could sense Asuma nearby. He went around a particularly well hidden trap and signaled his team. He moved forward and tossed a kunai at where he thought Asuma was hiding. Ino followed suit and Asuma sprang out from the bushes, easily deflecting the projectiles.

"Not bad, your tracking abilities are top notch and you avoided my traps. Now let's see how you do in a fight."

*****BREAK*****

Asuma really had been impressed by their trap avoidance and tracking skills. But now was the time to test their combat skills. He launched himself at Naruto since he was closest. His punch was avoided when the kid side stepped and responded with his own kick. Asuma easily blocked the kick and launched another attack. With his free hand he caught a kunai out of the air and casually tossed it back at Ino. He kept the speed of his return throw deliberately slow.

He could see Chōji circle around to his flank.

'Decent tactics, nothing fancy but effective.'

Asuma's thoughts were interrupted as the slippery kid avoided his punches and kicks. He was keeping his speed and strength at chūnin levels and was having a very difficult time landing a blow. Deciding to up his game a bit he launched a sweeping kick and then used Kawarimi to appear behind Ino. He was surprised when a pair of senbon were racing toward his position just as he arrived. It required a quick side step to the left to avoid the needles that dripped with some sort of toxin. That gave the kunoichi enough time to slip out of the way. Naruto was now moving for him at upper genin levels of speed that changed instantly right before impact to chūnin levels.

Asuma's initial guard position wouldn't be sufficient to block the quick strike and it was his turn to back up a step.

'This is embarrassing, I'm not going to let a bunch of students show me up!'

Asuma responded by showcasing just why he was a jōnin. His counterattack would have left a sizeable bruise on Naruto if the boy hadn't impossibly twisted at the waist and allowed the kick to fly over his head. Asuma stopped his momentum and turned his kick into a downward heel strike. Naruto flipped his legs and actually blocked the blow and pushed his leg back.

A kunai appeared in Naruto's hands but first he had to awkwardly dodge a powerful if slow haymaker from the Akimichi. After dodging the kick he snapped a block that was swift and powerful enough to bruise Naruto's wrist, causing him to grunt in response.

Another kunai came streaking in from Ino which he also deflected with a slap toward Chōji who barely managed to dodge out of the way.

'Damn these kids are good. They are going to pass but let's see what other tricks they have.'

Asuma jumped backward and in mid air flipped through the hand seals and used **Fūton: Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). The wind jutsu was designed to blow back his opponents and separate them. He didn't push much chakra into since he didn't want to actually hurt them too badly. That resulted in Chōji digging in his heels and not actually being blown back.

'He's strong; must be some muscle underneath that fat.'

Ino did get hit by the attack and she slammed into a nearby branch. Naruto however used a substitution technique and appeared behind him.

"Not bad Naruto," he complimented as he ratcheted up his speed and knocked the boy around a bit. Chōji valiantly rushed in to help but a solid kick to the gut doubled him over. The instant his attention was mildly diverted with the kick he saw Naruto finishing some hand signs.

Asuma didn't freeze despite his absolute shock. Those hand signs were for a dangerous and lethal jutsu that medical nin specialized in! Sure enough he saw Naruto complete **Dokugiri** (Poison Mist). Using his full speed he grabbed Chōji and dashed out of the purple poison field Naruto had ejected from his mouth.

"Enough! What were you thinking Naruto?"

If he hadn't been quicker Chōji could have died. And the boy was grinning at him!

"Oh, my little technique? Don't worry, it isn't lethal, it just causes paralysis."

Asuma needed a cigarette.

'That little bastard… he scared me on purpose!'

"All right, you've impressed me. Obviously Naruto is the most advanced however you all followed his lead and you were able to work together and made me actually break a sweat. Congratulations and welcome to team ten."

**AN: **I like the idea of the rift between Asuma and his father occurring because he failed the bell test due to not exemplifying teamwork. Kurama using earth jutsu is interesting to me so we'll see him use that as opposed to the traditional wind jutsu that Naruto always has. Reviews inspire me. So if you like the story please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Missions

**AN:** I appreciate your reviews. I've also started a new story (I know I know… can't seem to focus!) set in the Dragon Age world. I'm experimenting with a first person perspective so if possible drop me a line and let me know how it worked out.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 10**: Missions

Asuma decided to celebrate his team's victory with barbeque. Chōji was ecstatic, especially when Asuma offered to pay. Kurama didn't care about the food however it would give him some time to talk to his team about their training needs.

After they ordered food Asuma asked, "So who is this supplemental instructor Naruto?"

"I was told to say this: 'My sensei outside of the Academy is the sexy and amazing Anko Mitarashi'."

Asuma chuckled. He knew Anko by reputation and knew that Kurenai was friends with her. The kunoichi had long been feared to be in league with Orochimaru since she was his apprentice. No doubt the village gave her the cold shoulder which meant her bond with Naruto made a lot of sense.

"I'm guessing you were supposed to leave out that very first bit about being told to say that?"

Kurama smiled with Naruto's face. Seeing the blank stares of his other two teammates he decided to add some addition information.

"I was dead last in the Academy and she provided daily tutoring. In less than a year I went from last to placing second in the class ranking. If you would like I can help provide additional training outside of what Asuma will have us doing."

Chōji shrugged, "Sure that sounds good."

Ino wasn't as eager. "Well I'll probably be busy. In between missions and the training Asuma-sensei will be providing I also have to watch the family store and I'm not about to throw away all of my free time."

Kurama knew Ino was going to be difficult every step of the way.

"Ninja missions are dangerous. If you aren't up to par we could die because you wanted to relax."

"Oh get over it Naruto-baka! We have Asuma to protect us."

Asuma looked between the two of them and finally said, "I like your eagerness Naruto but everyone needs to go at their own pace. Ino is right, while you are genin I'll be able to look after you."

'He undercuts me and sides with the clan heir. Not surprising but let's see if his emotions are as malleable as his wretched father.'

"Will you always be around us? Because the last people that I got close to were murdered in their own home."

Ino sat upright with a shocked expression.

"W-what?"

"Last year I used to frequent a ramen stand. A father and a daughter who owned the place didn't overcharge me like the other people here. Some people didn't like that and so they were killed."

"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would anyone care where you ate dinner at?"

Kurama carefully crafted the expression. A look of a deep sadness with just a hint of bewilderment.

"I don't know but you are all in danger. Asuma can protect himself but both of you could be targeted at any time. If you don't want to do additional training that's fine but you'll end up dead."

"Enough Naruto," Asuma ordered.

"I remember around a year ago several shinobi went missing. They were the ones who probably did it and now they are missing nin with no way to get back into the village. You should be cautious in general as a shinobi but you don't need to be paranoid."

'Damn him. Why can't he let me push the team? I don't want to be stuck with simple genin scrolls for any longer than I have to be.'

Ino still looked shocked and confused. "Asuma-sensei why would someone do that? No one would murder someone over his stupid pranks!"

Asuma sighed. He couldn't reveal the truth per his father's orders.

"You're a Yamanaka, you should know better than other shinobi that sometimes people just snap. They do crazy things without any reason behind them."

'Pathetic, while they can't tell he is lying that explanation doesn't make any sense.'

"Oh look, food is here. Let's stop talking about the past and let's focus on enjoying the food! Before your test I said we could get to know each other better after you passed. Chōji tell us about yourself, what you like and dislike and why you became a shinobi."

The chubby genin looked disappointed he had to wait to eat until he responded. He quickly answered the questions, "I like food, especially barbeque and my mother's cooking. I like my family, snacking and sightseeing. I dislike people who call me fat and I hate missing meals. I became a shinobi because I am the clan heir and it is expected of me.

Asuma looked over to Ino.

"I enjoy making sure I look absolutely perfect. I am interested in espionage and botany. My goal right now is to attract the attention of Sasuke Uchiha, my one true love. I dislike forehead girl, the baka that is trying to steal my Sasuke-kun away from me. It was also expected that I become a shinobi due to my clan."

Kurama had listened hoping to find something to use as leverage. The Sasuke angle would be distasteful but if he played his cards correctly it could work out. His musings were interrupted as it was now his turn.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki and my goal is to becoming strong enough that no one will dare mess with me or the people I'm with. I like training, sparring and mixing new poisons. I dislike anyone who dislikes me."

Asuma went last, "I enjoy smoking, female companionship and shogi."

"Pervert!" Ino cried.

Asuma quirked an eyebrow, "Did I not just hear you go on about your Sasuke-kun? When you are an internationally renowned shinobi like me you will have admirers. Indulging every now and then isn't perverted, it's natural."

Ino looked down slightly embarrassed.

"And your dislikes?" Kurama asked.

"The enemies of Hi no Kuni and shinobi who don't care about collateral damage on their missions."

Introductions completed the group dug in. Asuma soon regretted offering to pay as Chōji set a brisk pace and showed no signs of slowing down.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma grinned as he explained their first mission was going to be painting a fence. Chōji was the only person who hadn't made a comment. Ino blustered about how that was undignified and a waste of her abilities while Naruto complained that it was a waste of time that they could use for training. Their complaints fell on deaf ears, or rather, amused ones. Asuma chuckled as he sat back and relaxed as he watched his team get to it.

The team dynamic was still forming but the Sarutobi could see that Naruto and Ino were in a power play against one another. Ino had a bossy nature and Naruto was impatient with anything that didn't get the job done as soon as possible. He wished Chōji would step up and mediate between the two but the passive boy merely observed.

In the end the fence got painted just fine in a decent amount of time. All three of them were young and had plenty of energy. It wasn't like this was a challenging mission like capturing a certain notorious cat.

After getting paid the meager sum for the D ranked mission Asuma had them start on training.

"All right today we're going to learn a skill called 'tree walking.' Naruto gave a little sigh.

"Something wrong Naruto?"

"I already know this; I was hoping you could do something more advanced. Like maybe a really powerful jutsu!"

'Well, the kid is eager. Too bad that's rooted from something so terrible.'

"Well since you know it why don't you teach it to Ino while I work with Chōji?"

The boy stared at him for a moment and then muttered, "Fine." Asuma hoped they wouldn't kill each other. Maybe they could even work out their differences if given enough space.

"We are going to the training area next door so we don't distract you. You two love birds have fun!"

Ino's angry screeching echoed through the wooded area as Asuma and Chōji departed.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama had to mentally applaud Asuma for being a royal bastard. Sticking him with Ino was eerily similar to the type of low key torture Anko enjoyed subjecting him to. Ino's screeching briefly tempted Kurama to murder his comrade and make it look like an accident. The ANBU who constantly stalked him left him alone while he was with Asuma-sensei which meant he did have an opportunity.

Really, it would be easy. He could snap her neck and say she fell while learning the tree walking exercise.

He didn't for two reasons. For one, it would draw suspicion and if they checked the seal who knew what they would find. And even if they weren't suspicious the team might be disbanded and it would further delay his training. But it didn't hurt to imagine Ino's dead body on the ground.

After Asuma got out of earshot Ino turned to look at Naruto.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?"

Kurama walked over to a tree and began to walk up it vertically.

"The key is to push chakra into your soles which will allow you to adhere to the bark. Too little chakra and you'll fall right off. Too much chakra and the bark will explode under your feet."

Ino took a step up the tree and immediately slipped.

"Try getting a running start, since contact is briefer and you have forward momentum it actually doesn't require the same level of chakra control."

Ino huffed and gave it a try. Sure enough she managed to go up five steps before the bark ripped away and she fell back. Ino acrobatically landed on her feet.

"Once you are able to run consistently to that branch over there," he gestured at one about 30 feet high, "you'll want to start trying to walk up."

Ino began to work on it. Kurama had to admit the girl had a better base chakra control than he had when he learned the exercise. It took him longer to get as far as she was getting. While partly frustrated that a mere human could master something like this faster than he, the mighty nine tailed fox, it worked out in his favor. The faster he got his team up to speed the quicker he could become a chūnin**. **

As a chūnin he would have access to the advanced scroll section in the library. The Konoha jutsu library was restricted by rank. The genin level scrolls were primarily Academy basics, and a few D ranks. At the chūnin level you could get C ranked jutsu and the primer scrolls for advanced things like fuinjutsu and poison making.

While he thought about this he also observed Ino. Her chakra control was good but she tended to lose it as she neared the branch.

"Ino on second thought don't use that branch use the one a bit higher."

"Why?"

"Just do it, Asuma-sensei told me I was to instruct you."

Grumbling the entire time Ino redirected her focus. Sure enough Ino managed to pass the first branch and then stumble as she neared the second. Now she was a bit higher up and the fall could be bad but Ino was a shinobi. She dropped to the ground with her legs but instantly broke her fall with a roll that redistributed the kinetic force of the drop.

"You lose your focus when you get near your goal. You easily passed the first branch when it was no longer what you were focusing on."

"So?"

The urge to strangle the girl reared its ugly head once more. Kurama hadn't noticed that his murderous day dreams were now about killing in Naruto's body instead of his true form.

"I'm telling you where you are breaking your concentration. Don't think about things changing, just keep doing the same thing with your chakra that you were doing earlier."

Ino understood what he was getting at and tried some more. Soon she had completely mastered running on the bark. She was starting to get tired though.

"My charka is running low Naruto; I'm going to take a break."

'Pathetic, she hasn't even been at it very long. No wonder she could do it so well, she probably has tiny chakra reserves.'

"You need to work on your chakra reserves. In a real mission you might have to keep going for a lot longer."

Ino scowled at him, "And just how am I supposed to improve my charka reserves?"

"Use your chakra more often. Don't exhaust yourself completely but every day, even on days we don't meet, use up all of your chakra until you are at the edge of chakra exhaustion. You can also improve your conditioning as chakra is a combination of both mental and physical prowess."

Ino gave him a speculative glance. Kurama paused for a moment. He was venturing into non-Naruto behavior. Naruto was never one for book smarts, even as he slowly became more studious it was unlikely for him to become a font of useful information on chakra theory.

"Or at least that is what my sensei used to say and it worked for me."

Ino bought that answer since she could sense no deception in him.

Asuma hadn't returned yet so Naruto began working on his physical conditioning while Ino took a breather. Ino looked at Naruto like he was crazy. Kurama knew his workout far surpassed his peers in intensity. One handed push-ups and rapid sit-ups were not how most people trained.

The kunoichi started feeling a little bit intimidated as she watched him. Just from his exercise routine she realized that he was on another level when it came to strength and speed. And during the genin test he had been incredible with his taijutsu. He also knew strong ninjutsu on top of that! Ino was used to being a leader but this once class clown outclassed her in so many of the shinobi arts.

Kurama caught her staring, "You can exercise while recovering your chakra."

Ino got to her feet and started. However she was getting tired again rapidly while her teammate just kept going.

The nine tailed fox was surprised that the girl's physical conditioning wasn't better. He saw her in class and knew she went through all the drills just fine during the Academy. She simply seemed to have no endurance.

It had been over an hour since Asuma left and they hadn't had lunch yet. Kurama called for a break and Ino sat down in relief.

She watched Naruto dig into the lunch he brought. It looked like a meal for three! She opened up her dainty bag and took out a small salad and a solitary rice ball and began to eat.

Kurama didn't miss anything and was able to put the facts together quickly. Ino was dieting, probably to look good for the Uchiha. Her actions were fairly stupid. She would never increase her muscle density if she didn't consume proper food. If she wasn't a shinobi it would be fine but since she was she needed to eat a lot more.

Despite his hatred of her he wasn't going to let her fall behind. Girding himself for an argument he marched over to her and began to chide her choice of foods.

'I'll use what the Sandaime told me. Surely if it came from the Hokage she won't disregard it.'

*****BREAK*****

Ino was utterly exhausted after her training. She hated being lectured by Naruto but if the advice truly had come from the Hokage… well she wasn't a fool. Her only consolation was that while she had packed small lunches she wasn't nearly as bad as Sakura who often skipped lunch all together.

It had been nice of Naruto to share some of his own food. And it had given her more energy to continue the tree walking exercise. That brought her full circle and to the question she had been meaning to ask her father. Why would the villagers hate Naruto so much that they would kill the owners of the ramen stand he frequented?

At dinner she asked her father.

"You investigated the murder of Teuchi and Ayame right?"

Inoichi paused in mid bite. He had in fact led the investigation. He knew his daughter was on the same team as Naruto. It was likely why she brought this up. His investigation had identified the likely culprits based on the fact they had fled the village shortly afterwards. They had all been particularly rabid in their anti-Kyūbi rhetoric leading up to the rape and two murders. Two of the culprits had been tracked and killed for their bounties.

"Yes, though I won't be able to tell you much."

Ino bit her lip, "I don't want to know about the investigation. I just want to know why."

Inoichi knew precisely why. They had killed them because they couldn't reach Naruto. And they hated Naruto because they associated him with the Kyūbi. The Yamanaka clan head hated those fools. If he were really the Kyūbi wouldn't he be more than powerful enough to murder the people who mistreated him? They had murdered some of the only close friends Naruto had. He was privileged enough to learn of reports about Suna's jinchūriki. It had been a real concern that Naruto could turn out like that. Thankfully the boy seemed to be adjusting well.

He could tell his daughter none of this.

"Naruto played quite a few pranks when he was younger. Sometimes small grudges can simmer until they became outright hatred."

Ino pursed her lips. "Then why not attack Naruto directly? He was only an Academy student at the time. If they hated him so much why did they attack those poor people selling ramen?"

He was proud that his daughter was clever enough to see the holes in the story; however at the moment that cleverness was somewhat annoying.

"I shouldn't tell you this Ino-chan but these shinobi had signs of mental unbalance. They weren't thinking clearly."

The girl didn't look convinced.

"Ino-chan your teammate went through quite a lot back then. He probably doesn't want to reopen old wounds. A good friend would not pry into it."

"I'm not his friend!" Ino bit back instinctively.

Inoichi chuckled, "Well hopefully you will be. I'm still friends with Shikaku and Chōza."

Ino grumbled about how her situation was different.

"Just give it some time. I know Chōji is a bit reserved but he is a very nice boy and the Akimichi clan is our longtime friend and ally. Naruto has really turned his life around and has stopped doing pranks. I am certain he will grow into a fine shinobi, don't allow petty differences in the Academy spoil the opportunity to work as a cohesive team."

"Hai father, I understand. I guess it just frustrates me that I'm not on Sasuke-kun's team."

Inoichi wasn't fond of his daughter's obsession with the Uchiha kid. The clan had a long history of instability and he couldn't help but wonder if that particularly brand of insanity had passed to its last remaining loyal member.

Ino's father laughed, "Well Shikaku says his son is enjoying it, which means you probably would be hating it right about now!"

Ino couldn't help but wonder how team seven was actually doing…

*****BREAK*****

Shikamaru had been disappointed initially but was soon happy as a cat with cream.

Every day he got to just lounge around for hours staring up at the clouds! It was nice and relaxing. The bell test had been a drag but after deciphering what Kakashi-sensei was looking for from them he had simply explained it to the other two.

Sasuke had been reluctant to believe him but he had been convinced when he offered to be the one who wouldn't get a bell. They had worked together poorly but they had worked together and apparently that was enough for them to pass.

His two comrades weren't happy with their chronically tardy sensei. But he paid little attention to their complaints. There were clouds to watch and naps to take after all.

**AN: **I find it a bit humorous for Shikamaru to bask in the laziness that Kakashi allows. As always I encourage you to review. Reviews inspire me to keep writing!


	11. Chapter 11: Torture and Regret

**AN:** As you read the first part of this chapter it will be a bit confusing, all will be explained though. I also feel the need to warn you that this chapter may be disturbing as it depicts some pretty rough stuff. If you dislike scenes involving torture you might want to skip this chapter, I'll provide a brief summary in the author's note below.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 11:** Torture and Regret

Naruto woke with a start. He quickly took in his surroundings and realized that he was deep within the Konoha Torture &amp; Interrogation headquarters. Worse yet he was currently tied to one of their 'work' tables. Given that he was a shinobi his bonds were reinforced with fuinjutsu so that he wouldn't be able to mold the slightest bit of chakra.

His chest was bare though they had left him the dignity of pants. Why was he here? He looked around frantically not fully believing he was trapped, helpless and about to be interrogated.

The door opened and to his great relief Anko came in.

"Anko-sensei thank goodness you're here! Get me out of this."

She shook her head slowly and her expression was filled with grief.

"How could you Naruto? How could you betray the village? Betray _me_?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What? Anko-sensei I would never betray the village. This is a mistake. If someone told you something you know how much the villagers hate me. They probably made it up!"

Anko shook her head.

"The Hokage wanted to leave this to Ibiki but this was my responsibility. There is no mistake Naruto, the evidence is overwhelming. You let the infiltrators in. You passed along village secrets. No one doubts what you did."

"NO! I would never do that! Anko-sensei please believe me!"

She ignored his frantic pleading.

"But what we don't know is who you were working with. That is what I need to find out. Naruto-kun… I understand why you betrayed the village. I know how difficult it was to deal with all of the villagers hate. You just weren't strong enough to let it go. It's my fault. I didn't teach you to be strong. I'm so sorry for having to do this to you but I am a loyal shinobi and you will tell me what we need to know. One way or the other."

Anko watched Naruto's crystal blue eyes grow impossibly wide as he realized what was in store for him. He had dealt with Anko's training and persevered but training was different. He knew, he absolutely knew that he was going to face real pain. More pain than he had ever suffered before and it would be at the hands of the kunoichi he trusted above all others. He cringed as Anko began pulling out the tools of her trade.

Knives, needles, hooks, matches, pliers and all sorts of other horrific devices were being set on a smaller secondary table within Naruto's line of vision. It was part of the process of course.

Naruto began babbling.

"No, no! Anko-sensei, ANKO! Don't do this to me. I'm innocent. I wouldn't betray you. Forget about the village. I wouldn't betray YOU."

Anko ignored his distress and finished taking out her instruments as well as several small vials. Naruto recognized two of them but the other three scared him out of his wits. He had no idea what they were.

Mitarashi took a syringe and filled it with the contents of one of the unknown vials. Naruto thrashed and squirmed in his restraints desperate to get free. He bucked and used every bit of his might to try to shred the taut shackles that held him in place. His struggles were futile and he could do nothing but give a panicked scream as the needle bit into his arm and pumped something into his veins.

"That won't hurt you Naruto. All it does is enhance your senses."

Naruto swallowed thickly. He wasn't a fool, after all Anko had trained him. If his senses were enhanced it meant that his pain receptors would be far more sensitive.

"I don't want to do this to you Naruto. Just tell me who you were working with and I'll make sure you're granted a quick death."

"I can't give you information I don't have! I'm not a traitor!"

Anko sighed, "We'll find out eventually, don't make this harder on yourself. Don't make this harder on _me_."

Naruto despaired. While he was terribly fearful of the horrific torment that he would not doubt soon be suffering he was also emotionally devastated by the fact his own sensei would have to carry out his torture.

Anko picked up the pliers and moved over to Naruto's right hand.

"Tell me."

"I don't have anything to tell!"

The thin pair of pliers latched onto the nail of Naruto's fingers and began to pull. Naruto bit back a scream but the pain simply grew worse as Anko pulled and twisted and slowly began ripping the fingernail out of the nail bed.

"I don't know anything," he screamed.

More pulling and tearing.

"PLEASE ANKO!"

He roared his innocence over and over and soon his angry denials devolved into begging for her to stop, but Anko was relentless. A grim look covered her face as she completed her work. She could have ripped the nail off in one go but to maximize the pain she took her time. Eventually the nail finally came free and the delicate flesh revealed itself.

Next she took one of the small vials and removed the cap.

"Naruto just tell me who your accomplices were. Please don't make me keep doing this. This acid will eat your flesh but it won't do it fast. Don't make me do this to you," she begged.

Naruto's throat was raw and he whimpered.

"I didn't betray the village. No… don't… NOOO."

She dripped the acidic compound over the hyper sensitive nerves underneath the torn fingernail. He trashed and despite how tight the shackles were it threatened to spill the acid off his flesh. Anko had to hold his finger still as the rest of his body thrashed.

"Who turned you away from the village Naruto? WHO?" Anko shouted at the screaming boy.

But Naruto had no answer. Nor did he have an answer when the process was repeated on the next three fingers and one thumb he had on his right hand. In no way was he getting used to the pain, in fact it was growing steadily worse thanks to the first concoction that Anko had injected him with.

"Fifteen digits left Naruto. Whatever loyalty you have to them isn't worth this. Tell me who is supplying you with information."

He was loyal to the village. Despite their mistreatment of him he didn't betray them. And he wouldn't give up a name and condemn another innocent person to this agony. Anko had tears in her eyes as she moved onto his left hand.

But everyone had their breaking point. And ripped fingernails and dripping acid were just the beginning. It went on for hours and Naruto's screams reverberated around the cold torture chamber. And he broke. He began giving names. Names of people who had mistreated him. He babbled any name he could possibly think of in order to keep the pincers, flames and pain away.

Eventually they had wrung out all the (false) names he could think of and the Sandaime was brought in and pronounced judgment. Naruto at this point couldn't bear the thought of another minute under Anko's not so tender mercies. He confessed to what they said he did. The old Hokage looked like something had broken in his spirit as he turned to Anko.

"Anko-san, please dispose of this… traitor. He has suffered enough in this life."

Uzumaki welcomed death as the old Hokage left. Anko stared at the boy for some time. Naruto didn't know why she just didn't finish him. Even while not actively being 'worked on' his body ached for the sweet bliss of oblivion.

The snake mistress of Konoha gently stroked his whiskered face. Naruto knew the end was coming and he whispered softly.

"I'm sorry Anko-sensei. I wish… I wish you had believed me."

Anko brought her face down right next to Naruto's ear. Her lips tickled his ear.

"Oh, Naruto-kun; you don't understand, I do believe you."

Naruto's bloodshot eyes seemed to pop out of his skull.

"What? Then _why_?" He croaked out the last word. It was a plaintive plea, a boy desperate to understand what was going on around him.

Anko jumped lightly into the air and then straddled Naruto's scarred body. She grasped his face with her hands and leaned down close giving him a wet kiss. The boy was confused, thinking perhaps he had gone insane from the torment that had been inflicted on him.

"Of course I believe you Naruto! Who do you think planted all of the evidence that convinced the Hokage of your guilt?"

Naruto had thought he knew betrayal and emotional agony before but it was nothing compared to this. His sensei, the one who had molded him into the competent and capable genin that he was had utterly destroyed him! Fresh tears streamed down the boys face.

Anko bent down and licked the tears from his cheek in delight. She then threw her head back and laughed. Her psychotic laugher rang around the room growing louder and louder until it reached a terrible crescendo.

*****BREAK*****

Anko bolted up into a sitting position. Her entire body was slick with sweat. Her pupils were roving around the room in pure terror. The curse mark pulsed in time to her too rapid heartbeat. She threw away the blanket and rushed to the bathroom. She almost didn't make it before she heaved out the contents of her stomach.

She shook with fright and disgust. Her self-loathing had never been greater then at this very moment. Her nightmare had been so real. The idea of her brutalizing Naruto in such a way made her stomach do back flips. His pain and terror had been so real.

But the worst part, the absolute most repulsive part of all of it was the euphoric pleasure her dream self had felt at doing it all. As she had felt witnessing it. Even now she felt the sticky residue of her desire filled dream. She hurled again in wretched abhorrence at how pathetic and repellent she was.

Her hands trembled as she took a nearby kunai into them. Her home had the things everywhere. Would it be better if she didn't exist anymore? Would it be better to end it all so she wasn't in constant danger of letting the curse mark take control and fulfilling those sadistic and inhumane desires? She thought she had an outlet with her position in the Torture &amp; Interrogation department. Why did this happen now?

Tears leaked down her face as she pressed the point of the kunai to her jugular. No more sleepless nights. No more horrific nightmares. No more twisted desires. No more pain. No more loneliness. No more distrustful looks. No more spiteful comments. No more temptations to fight. No more.

Just no more.

She might have done it if Naruto's face hadn't filled her mind at that very moment. Her student. What would he think if he learned she had killed herself? Would he blame himself? Would he turn to despair and self hatred the way she herself had? And what about Kurenai? She had been so caring and understanding, her one true friend. No, she couldn't be that selfish.

With a fresh sob she slammed the kunai into the wall and cursed Orochimaru for doing the things he had done to her. She was damaged. She was broken on every level. She knew it deep within her bones. The seal poisoned her mind and drove her to be more like her one time master.

And it was all Orochimaru's fault. He did this to her. He had destroyed any chance of having a life not filled with wretchedness. She hated him with ever fiber of her being. The kunoichi also knew that she wasn't anywhere near him in ability and strength despite all of her efforts. But she knew some of the tricks he had taught her. There were kinjutsu that could defeat even him. Even if the price was her life it would be worth it.

Sorrow turned to rage and then back again to sorrow. She didn't know where the snake was. And she had no way of finding where he was. And even if she did what if the **Ten no Juin** (Cursed Seal of Heaven) prevented her from harming him? Orochimaru was a genius and even Konoha's best seal master couldn't fully tell her what-all the damned thing could do.

Frustration and sorrow chased each other as she stayed up the rest of the night in turns shaking with rage and trembling in despair. When morning came she cleaned herself up and faced another day of the hell that was her life.

**AN:** Got a little heavy there… Not always a huge fan of angst but I feel it is appropriate here. I am stopping here so those who wanted to get a summary of what happened can read the author's note.

Summary: For those who skipped the chapter due to its graphic nature here is what happened. Naruto wakes up and is tied to a table about to be tortured in order for Anko to extract information. He pleads his innocence but Anko begins some pretty nasty stuff. After that I skip over other bad stuff she does to him but allude to it later in the chapter. Eventually he is condemned to die and then Anko goes a bit crazy and tells him that she knew he was innocent all along. Her deranged laughter ends the scene.

The next scene begins and you realize that it had all been a nightmare. Anko gets violently ill and you get a look at a lot of Anko angst. It is also explained her cursed seal is pushing her into having these sadistic thoughts. She almost decides to kill herself but due to her relationship with Naruto and Kurenai she doesn't. The scene ends with her blaming Orochimaru for everything and facing a new day of what she describes as 'another day of the hell that was her life.'

And there you have two thousand words in two paragraphs. If you did read it I'd like to know what you think. The next chapter puts the focus back on Kurama.


	12. Chapter 12:

**AN:** It has been awhile. My interest in this story is waning. I don't want to completely abandon it but not a lot of folks seem to like it (at least in comparison to my other story). The plan for now is to work on finishing Genius Sensei. Once I'm done with that I'll make a decision on if I want to continue this one or start a new Naruto work. The idea for my new Naruto work is to have a Naruto world not filled with mountain busting jutsu. It would have the feel of early Naruto where two or three jutsu could lead to exhaustion and the village felt like it had around 500 shinobi as opposed to 15,000. Let me know what you would prefer I work on.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 12:** Akimichi, Sarutobi and Yamanaka

A few days had passed and the team was moving into a regular rhythm of completing D ranked missions and then training. Kurama was pleased to see that Ino had taken his advice and was starting to eat properly. He would not be held back because of a weak teammate. He refused to let any possibility of a delay in his promotion to chūnin to occur. The faster he gained that rank the sooner he could start delving into the fuinjutsu arts.

Kurama turned his attention to Chōji. The boy had great physical strength and his taijutsu was solid, however he lacked a killer instinct. He was also slow and his progress in learning his clan's jutsu was minimal. He had learned the start of **Nikudan Sensha** (Human Bullet Tank). Kurama was fairly contemptuous of the ability. It could do significant damage but it took a long time to wind up and it only attacked in a direct line.

After training had finished up for the day Kurama confronted his large teammate.

"Chōji, your family jutsu doesn't seem very useful; don't you have some other cool techniques your family has taught you?"

Chōji was fairly easy going and despite the insult he merely ate a chip, swallowed and then answered. "It's the first technique we learn. Later on I'll be able to expand parts of my body or even my entire body."

"Now that could be useful. When will you learn that? The next chūnin exams are only three months away."

Chōji rubbed the back of his head. "I don't even have **Nikudan Sensha** (Human Bullet Tank) down yet."

"Ask your father to skip over it so you can get to something useful."

Kurama was aware he was being fairly forceful with his teammate. The boy's passive personality allowed it to happen and he needed these pathetic humans until he reached the next shinobi rank.

"I don't know…"

"Either that or get something else going for you. Does your clan have any other techniques?"

"Yes but I'm not supposed to share."

Kurama grew curious and pressed forward, "I'm your teammate! What if it is something that will save us from death and we don't know you have it? We should all know each other's abilities! Didn't Asuma-sensei say that a team should trust each other?"

The larger boy couldn't really argue with that. If Ino or Asuma were here he could have received reassurance that not sharing was appropriate. But without them there it was difficult to muster resistance. He liked going with the flow. When Shikamaru wanted to watch clouds Chōji went along. When Kiba wanted to skip class Chōji went along. In essence he was a born follower, loyal to a fault and incredibly easy going. All of this meant that he did pretty much exactly what Kurama wanted.

"All right but don't go spreading it around. My family has a secret medicine called **Sanshoku no Gan'yaku** (Three Colored Pills)."

Kurama looked quizzically, "What do they do?"

"They work like a soldier pill but on a whole different level. Each pill gives you more of a power boost but they have increasing consequences. The final one is said to give you a 100 times your normal strength and power but will kill you afterwards."

The nine tailed fox scoffed at the idea of a pill that would grant its user '100 times' their normal strength and power. There was probably quite a bit of fiction to that claim. How often did the Akimichi clan actually use this final pill? If it truly granted that much power they could kill a Kage or even threaten a bijū. Kurama had never heard of an Akimichi killing a Kage.

'Legends do have a grain of truth to them. If it granted its user ten times their normal strength it would still be powerful.'

"Do you have these colored pills on you?"

Chōji shook his head. "No I don't, I haven't been issued them. My father wants me to train more before I am given them."

Kurama wanted those pills. The body he possessed had fantastic healing power. The final pill might even be survivable for someone like him. And if not the other two would still be available to use. Having an ace in the hole that didn't require him to shed his host if real danger confronted him would be critical to maintaining his guise.

"Chōji I'd like to examine one of those pills. I've learned a lot from Anko-sensei about poisons and antidotes. Maybe I can figure out away to minimize the side effects."

That was a bald faced lie; the thought that someone with less than a year of poison training could minimize the side effects more effectively than an entire clan who specialized in their use was absurd. However Chōji thought the best of his comrades and Kurama displayed no signs of falsehood. The Akimichi heir believed him, however that wasn't sufficient. He knew his clan would be very upset if he allowed an outsider to study the composition of one of the key parts to their secret weapon.

"I can't do that Naruto."

"Why not? What if you took the final pill and you ended up dying? Would your clan really want that instead of seeing if there was a way to make the pill safer?"

Chōji was slow to anger but Kurama could easily tell the Akimichi clan member was getting there. With a clenched jaw he said, "I said I can't do that."

Kurama decided to back off for now. He put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey, no problem Chōji, I just wanted to know about your cool clan jutsu and see if it could benefit the whole team."

And just like that Chōji's anger was forgotten.

'He is such a sap.'

The two of them sparred for a bit. While Ino hadn't joined the extra training sessions Kurama held his other teammate would just shrug and go along with the suggestion. The nine tailed fox had improved the larger boy's taijutsu quite a bit. He was solid for a genin but too slow, so they primarily worked on speed and accuracy.

'He'll be ready for the exams. The blond needs work though.'

*****BREAK*****

Asuma didn't speak with his father often. The two were still estranged from Asuma's rebellion.

'Even if I wanted to the old man would hardly have time for it anyway.'

Their meeting that evening was all business. He had to talk to the Sandaime about Naruto. He entered into the Hokage's office and the aged Sarutobi looked up.

"Asuma-kun, what brings you here?"

He lit his cigarette and looked at his father. Time and stress had weakened him. His gaze was still steady and his voice confident but the man was thinner and lacked the sheer dynamic presence one expected to find in a Kage.

"I want to talk to you about Naruto."

The old man chuckled. "Are he and the young Yamanaka fighting? I suspected as much."

Asuma frowned, "No. Well, they are bickering but they work through the D ranks easily enough. At first they both tried to take charge until Naruto finally got her to agree to switch off. Now they breeze through them easily. Even caught the little demon cat without any problems."

"I see." The Hokage waited for his son to continue.

"Naruto is almost the perfect shinobi. He already has the skills of a chūnin. He's dedicated to improving his abilities. He trains to the brink of doing damage to himself and then stops. The kid even tries to help out his team with supplemental training. Chōji's taijutsu has improved considerably and I can't take credit for it. The boy isn't petty, he follows orders and even when he bickers with Ino-chan he doesn't cross any lines."

Hiruzen took a puff from his own pipe and motioned for Asuma to continue.

The younger Sarutobi sighed, "The kid is convinced he can't make any friends or get attached to anyone. He won't admit it but he's terrified that something will happen to anyone he gets close to. He has no hobbies. Not a single damn one. His entire life is consumed with getting stronger."

The Hokage looked down in sadness. "The village has done him a great wrong. We have done this to him. First in ostracizing him, and then with the murder of the only two civilians who cared for him. Is it any wonder he is scarred? Even his own personal sensei abused him."

Asuma's jaw dropped and his cigarette dropped out of his mouth.

"What?"

"A training exercise is what she called it. With Fire Thistle."

Asuma gave a slight shudder. That was a poison typically used in the T&amp;I department. It wasn't something you messed around with. He could see the point of inoculating a poison user to it but that must have been very rough for a child to endure.

"Four full doses."

Now Asuma was pissed. That was wretchedly cruel. When he was part of the **Shugonin Jūnishi** (Twelve Guardian Ninja) he has seen the poison used in interrogation. The helpless chūnin had broken under the pain in less than an hour.

"What the hell was she thinking?"

"That is a good question. She attempted to defend herself saying that it was the same way she was taught by her sensei. But I fear it is worse than that. I've received a complaint from Shinobu, a recent transfer to her department. Apparently she enjoys her job a little too much."

Asuma was rather easy going and it took a lot to get him riled up. But this was sickening. To give an already damaged child over to a sadistic bitch was wrong on all sorts of levels. With his jaw clenched he asked, "Now I need to ask what _you_ were thinking. Why was she still allowed to associate with him?"

The elderly shinobi slumped down slightly. "Because removing her would have punished Naruto for her actions. Other than me, Anko is the only other person Naruto truly cares for. And he only allowed himself to care for her because he is convinced of her strength. He had no one else."

The bearded jōnin shook his head with disgust. He had pitied Kakashi for having to deal with Sasuke and all of the repressed trauma from the Uchiha massacre. Now he thought the silver haired prodigy ended up with the better end of the stick.

'At least Kurenai has a pretty normal team. It wouldn't have been fair for her to have to deal with all of this crap.'

And then another thought struck Asuma.

'Wait… why in the hell is Kurenai friends with Anko? Does she know how absolutely fucked up she is?'

He saved that thought for later and returned to the conversation.

"Any idea where I go from here with him?"

The Professor did have some ideas; being world weary and beaten down from having to deal with tragedy after tragedy meant that he wasn't as sharp as he once was. But he didn't become known as The Professor for no reason.

"Encourage him to form bonds. If that doesn't work inflict team building exercises that forces interaction. He is skilled in physical infiltration but is he skilled with social infiltration? Make him pretend to be a merchant interacting with guards. Teach him how to blend in with civilians in a tavern. Force social interaction with his team under the guise of allowing him to operate as a better spy should the occasion be called on."

Asuma toyed with the idea in his head as his father continued.

"In the ANBU ranks we have a problem with deep cover agents being subsumed by the role they play. Fake something long enough and it starts to become real."

"I'll give it a shot for as long as I have him. He's dead set on becoming a chūnin as fast as possible and the exams aren't too far away."

The Hokage nodded, "Do what you can. When he is older he will form more bonds. He just needs time to work though what happened."

With nothing left to say Asuma left the office.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama had decided he needed to take more forceful action with Ino in order for her to see how critical it was for her to grow stronger. After another day of D ranks and team training Kurama told Chōji that he wouldn't be able to join him for additional practice.

The group split apart and Kurama trailed Ino. When she was out of sight from anyone else he struck.

He used the new jutsu he had perfected. **Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Headhunter Technique) allowed him to travel underground and grab Ino by the ankles. He pulled her down into the earth up to her neck.

Ino screamed and struggled but couldn't break free from the hard earth that entrapped her.

Kurama altered his voice slightly and stayed out of sight. He grabbed Ino's hair and put a kunai up next to her throat.

"Scream again and you're dead."

Kurama could feel the fear radiate from his teammate. He could feel her body tremble in the earth.

"What d-do you want?"

He stayed silent, allowing Ino to become more and more frightened. After an excruciatingly long pause he replied using Naruto's normal voice, "Nothing really, just wanted to show you how easy it would be for someone to kill you."

Kurama saw Ino exhale in relief and then take a deep breath in, in order to be able to yell properly.

"YOU MISERABLE BASTARD! GET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

Kurama chuckled, "That doesn't give me much motivation."

Ino glared at him as he shifted some of the earth with his chakra allowing her to get free. Ino immediately went to attack him. She angrily struck at him but Kurama feigned a block and then dodged away from the punch. The feigned block was done just to bring his hand closer to Ino's. He scratched her with the tip of a senbon that had his paralytic poison on it.

Ino barely felt the graze and followed up her missed punch with a combo of kicks, punches and even a head butt of all things. Kurama could read her easily and was faster and more proficient. And since he wasn't even trying to fight back it was even easier to dodge her blows. After half a minute Ino felt herself slowing and her extremities start to tingle. She looked down at her wrist in surprise.

"You poisoned me!"

Her legs went out from under her as Kurama's paralyzing poison fully kicked in.

"Don't worry, it's just my paralytic. If I were an enemy I could have grazed you with my lethal concoction and you'd be dead. Twice now I've killed you before you even realized you were in danger."

Ino glared angrily up at Kurama, his poison didn't fully rob his victim of speech but the tongue would be affected and it would sound like garbled mush. The kunoichi didn't want to sound like a drooling idiot so she kept her mouth shut.

"Ino I want this team to work. I want you and Chōji to be strong so we can take the chūnin exams. People hate me for some reason and they will come after you one day. If you are as weak as you are now they will kill you."

Kurama considered not explaining the next part. He didn't want to appear too callous or inhuman but the damned girl was stubborn. He was going to make sure his lesson hit home.

"Do you know what they did to Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan? They didn't just kill them. You are a kunoichi so you know what sexual assault is. They made Teuchi-san watch as they had their way with Ayame-chan. At least that is what I've heard. And when I snuck in to review the autopsy reports the time of deaths and description of the wounds matched that exact scenario. Do you want that to happen to you?"

The kunoichi's eyes were bugging out at what she had just heard. She still didn't understand. How could anyone hate Naruto so much that they would do that to two civilians who had never harmed a soul? It was one thing to kill someone for gain but quite another to do… that. It spoke of hate. Raw and unrestrained hate.

The paralytic wasn't meant to last long and it was soon wearing off. Ino simply asked, "Why?"

Kurama decided it was time to play the sympathy card. He forced his host's body to produce tears and let them fall down his face.

"I don't know. I wish I knew. They would still be alive today if I never went to their ramen stand. Can't you see I don't want that to happen to you?"

Ino had run the gamut of emotions. She had started frightened, then went to enraged, which was followed up by shock and now she was feeling sadness. Kurama carefully observed behind Naruto's shining and despairing eyes.

"I'll do it. I'll train. And I'll help you find out why."

Kurama wasn't in the least bit interested in the latter but the former meant that he could now get all members of his team up to the necessary skill level to ace the chūnin exams. One final thing to take care of.

"Ino," he paused, "Ino, can you not tell anyone about this? I'm embarrassed and I don't want to get in trouble with Asuma-sensei. He said he'd be teaching me another Doton jutsu if I kept doing a good job and this might jeopardize it."

The Yamanaka clan heir smiled and got to her feet. "I won't say a word Naruto. I'm sorry I was such a bitch earlier."

Kurama scratched the back of his head, pretending to show embarrassment.

"But if you ever scare me like that again I will make you regret it!"

'Interesting, she still has some fight in her even after I've asserted my complete dominance in the shinobi arts. I have to give the little mortal credit, she has spirit.'

**AN: **I do enjoy writing manipulative Kurama. It also never ceases to amuse me to write about other character's worrying about Naruto. Poor guys don't realize there isn't a Naruto to worry about anymore! If you enjoy this story please leave a review.


	13. Chapter 13: Mission to Wave

**AN: **Good news everyone… I've decided to continue this story and not put it on hiatus. Be sure to thank GJMEGA for agreeing to beta this story, which was one of the deciding factors! He is the coauthor, along with AngelaStarCat who is posting the story, of Blindness, a very interesting take on Harry Potter. Please check it out.

I also appreciate the very supportive reviews you left. The fan base for this story is small but it is dedicated. You guys rock!

**Chapter 13: **Mission to Wave

Kurama was satisfied with the overall progress his team was making. Ino had started to shape up in her training and Chōji had always gotten along with the program. Kurama's own skills also continued to sharpen. Asuma had procured for him a new Doton scroll. The new ability was called **Doton: Retsudo Tenshō** (Earth Release: Earthquake Slam). The jutsu, when performed properly, allowed the user to send their chakra into the ground. Once there the chakra would race toward the enemy's position and cause the ground underneath their feet to spiral inward on itself. If an enemy shinobi were to react slowly they could be crushed.

That was the best case scenario of course. But even a near miss could break someone's ankle as they tried to get free. He personally rather liked the jutsu. He was working on using it in conjunction with his other abilities. He planned to use **Dokugiri** (Poison Mist) and wait for them to leap away from it. Then he could calculate where they would land and use **Doton: Retsudo Tenshō** (Earth Release: Earthquake Slam) while they were still descending.

Thinking back to his team it was a good thing that both Ino and Chōji were willingly doing his supplemental training. Asuma had decided the team would make a great infiltration unit and was teaching them how to act like different people in another village. While this would make sense for some teams, particularly those not proficient in direct combat, it seemed rather stupid to Kurama. Asuma was a powerful jōnin, the Akimichi clan specialized in combat and he himself had demonstrated his abilities. What purpose was there in specializing in spy training?

The additional layer of deceitfulness did amuse him however. He was now pretending to be Naruto who was pretending to be someone else as part of Sarutobi's training. The waste of time aggravated him as well as the general level of stupidity the whole thing reeked of. Nonetheless he played his part appropriately since Asuma was dangling a C ranked mission if they improved sufficiently.

After another day of fruitless social infiltration training their sensei left them to their own devices. Kurama focused them on taijutsu, evasion and speed. Survival was of the utmost importance since genin candidates had to have a full team to compete.

Senbon were wonderful training devices. Unless they struck particular points of the body they generally didn't leave deep wounds. They also stung badly and that gave his targets plenty of incentive to keep moving. It really was surprising how quickly Chōji could move when given the proper motivation.

Kurama made certain not to be too ruthless. He couldn't drive away his teammates.

'At least not yet. When I'm a chūnin it won't matter anymore.'

In fact Kurama was downright fair as he let both of his teammates attack him with senbon and kunai in return while he focused on his evasion skills. The blond haired kunoichi became quite well versed with the senbon and Kurama let her use his paralytic poison. Chōji preferred the more solid kunai. In either case Kurama could dance between the projectiles bending and contorting his body with ease. The Hebi style allowed him to dodge with more skill than his raw speed and reflexes alone would suggest.

After a few hours of steady training Kurama called for a halt.

"Soon we'll be the best team in Konoha! Believe it."

The two breathlessly nodded in agreement. Kurama decided to try once again to get more out of Chōji.

"Chōji I'd like to see how good you are at dodging when you use one of your special food pills."

The large genin huffed out a sigh.

"Naruto I can't. We don't use the pills like that outside of our clan compound. Please stop asking about it."

'Stubborn brat. Who would have thought the marshmallow had a spine buried under all of his puff.'

Kurama let the issue drop. His team was working much better together and it didn't seem wise to risk it. And based on his read of Chōji's body language he wasn't going to get anything out of him short of force.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma was on his way to his date with Kurenai. The two shared a mutual attraction and if Asuma was lucky they would be progressing their relationship that evening most pleasantly. It was a good decision to get his team a C ranked mission, they had earned it after all, but he was still going to be annoyed to be out of the village for a few weeks.

He thought back to the two weeks of modified training he had given his team. It was interesting to watch the team dynamic. Ino took to it like a duck to water. She had a natural talent as an actress and could play multiple roles convincingly. Naruto was also surprisingly good at it.

'Trying to read him is difficult. I still don't have a clue if he enjoyed it or hated it. Sometimes I'd see a flash of mirth like he knew a joke no one else did but other times he acted with barely constrained rage. I know he would have preferred more physical training but he did quite well. When he took on a role he embraced it effortlessly.'

Sadly Chōji hadn't done very well. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and had a very difficult time deceiving people. If they had been a covert team he would have had to use him as muscle or deliberately give him wrong information in order to confuse the enemy. In any event the goal was to get Naruto to express himself with others and form bonds. He did seem to have a better relationship with his two teammates but Asuma would be hard pressed to say that he had genuine loyalty for them.

'Maybe we'll get lucky and run into some bandits. Danger can form bonds after all. I need to put them out of my mind because I have other things I want to be thinking about!'

Asuma was near Kurenai's home. He was able to see Anko leave Kurenai's apartment and he glared at her as she walked away. What she had done to Naruto was cruel and more suited for Kirigakure than Konohagakure.

'Maybe worse since at least they had a purpose for their brand of cruelty, she was just looking for an excuse.'

He knocked on the door and Kurenai answered while Asuma was still thinking about Mitarashi.

"What's wrong?"

Asuma looked up, startled, and smiled, "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Wow you look great, and the reservations have been made."

Kurenai smiled and allowed him to take her arm as they strolled to one of the more affluent restaurants.

The two spent their time enjoying each other's company through the meal. They were sharing stories about each of their respective teams when the subject of Naruto came up. That brought back up Asuma's memory of Anko.

"That kid has been through a lot. The deaths of two of the few people in this village who gave a damn about him nearly broke him. Then he gets stuck with a psycho sensei from hell…"

He was cut off when Kurenai let her chopsticks fall.

"Excuse me? She took him from the class dobe to almost the top of his class. She's a miracle worker."

Asuma's jaw clenched.

"Do you know what she did to him?"

"So he got roughed up a little bit. If it had been anyone else there wouldn't have been a problem. But because it was Anko she got punished."

Asuma gaped at his date in shock. He couldn't believe this was what Kurenai thought. He knew her father had died fighting the Kyūbi but he had never pegged her as one who would blame Naruto instead of the damned fox.

"Get some perspective, she's a menace!"

*****BREAK*** **

Kurenai was looking forward to her date with Asuma. He was something of a legend among the jōnin. Member of the **Shugonin Jūnishi** (Twelve Guardian Ninja), the son of the Hokage, had a huge bounty on his head and had a rugged charm that she was quite enamored with.

Anko had come over and they had chatted awhile with Anko making naughty suggestions that had the newly minted jōnin a bit flustered.

"Stop it already; just go, he'll be here soon. I'll tell you everything afterwards."

Shortly after Anko left Asuma knocked on the door. Kurenai opened it to see Asuma scowling.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Asuma had a startled expression and then recovered his poise and smiled. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Wow you look great, and the reservations have been made."

Kurenai was pleased with the choice of restaurants. Clearly Asuma thought she was worth going somewhere particularly nice.

As they ate the conversation turned to their perspective teams. Kurenai enjoyed talking about her genin. Since this was her first team it was good to bounce things off a more experienced jōnin. When the topic turned over to Asuma's team Kurenai was curious to see how Anko's former student was doing.

"That kid has been through a lot. The deaths of two of the few people in this village who gave a damn about him nearly broke him. Then he gets stuck with a psycho sensei from hell…"

Kurenai was furious. How dare he call her psycho? Anko got more than her share of distrustful looks from shinobi and civilians alike. But she never dreamed that Asuma was one of the bastards who couldn't see past Anko's treacherous sensei.

'He should be grateful that she did such fantastic work with Naruto! But he can't see past his own distrust and suspicion to acknowledge what she has accomplished.'

"Excuse me? She took him from the class dobe to almost the top of his class. She's a miracle worker."

She saw Asuma's jaw clench.

"Do you know she did to him?"

Of course she knew what happened. Anko had gotten a bit rough but she had been downright apologetic. And since she was Anko and so distrusted she got stuck with doing months of D ranks. She was training a shinobi for Kami's sake, if it had been any other sensei they probably would have gotten off with a slap on the wrist and a grandfatherly warning from the Sandaime.

"So he got roughed up a little bit. If it had been anyone else there wouldn't have been a problem. But because it was Anko she got punished."

Her anger spiked as Asuma gaped at her.

'I guess he didn't know I was friends with her. He looks so shocked that another shinobi would defend the 'snake bitch' of Konoha. Bastard!'

"Get some perspective, she's a menace!"

And that was the last straw. Kurenai abruptly stood up and glared at her date.

"This was a mistake. Don't ask me out again."

She stiffly walked away, more angry than she had been in a very long time.

*****BREAK*****

Anko was surprised to see Kurenai return so quickly. The snake summoner knocked on her door and Kurenai answered.

"What happened?"

Kurenai looked at her friend for a few moments before finally replying.

"He was a pig. Sorry I don't have anything interesting to report but I'm done with him."

Anko's eyes narrowed, "What did he do?"

Kurenai looked away, "I don't want to talk about it."

Mitarashi was damned curious; however she didn't want to alienate her only friend. Instead she accepted it. "You can be real boring sometimes but fine, fine I'll let it go. Hey want to get some energy out in one of the training fields?"

Her friend nodded and the two of them went out to blow off some steam.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma gathered his team and reported to the village gates in the morning. Yes, they could have left the prior afternoon however he had a date and well… their client was drunk at the time.

Tazuna was the bridge builder who had hired them. Apparently the man was concerned about bandits on his journey back to Nami no Kuni. It wasn't a senseless worry, after all the guy was getting up in years and traveling alone could be dangerous. Now that he had a shinobi team with him he would no doubt sleep easier.

The jōnin was still pretty pissed about Kurenai and her senseless hatred of Naruto. He had honestly expected better from her. However, a mission was a mission and he should focus and not let it distract him. Also equally important was he had to keep an eye on his team to make sure to catch any mistakes they made.

Ino was excited to see more of the world. She had trained hard with Chōji and Naruto. While she missed her leisure time she knew she was much more skilled than she had been before. A new land also meant new fashions. She had heard that Nami no Kuni was poor but surely they would have some interesting shops. Her D ranked mission pay would be used to purchase something that she couldn't find in Hi no Kuni.

Chōji was a bit nervous about venturing out of Hi no Kuni on his first real mission. D ranks didn't count even if they did serve a purpose in his eyes. He fingered the pouch at his side. His father had given him the **Sanshoku no Gan'yaku** (Three Colored Pills) and a firm warning not to use anything beyond the spinach pill. He knew Naruto would be impossible to deal with if he knew he had the pills on him.

It was rare for Chōji to firmly rebuff someone, let alone a teammate, but these were clan secrets. He had made a mistake by giving out the information he had. Being the dutiful son was he had reported to his father the interest Naruto had in the pills. He had been given a lecture about not giving away clan secrets. What if an enemy village captured Naruto and interrogated him? Secrets were secrets for a reason. True, their longtime allies the Nara clan and the Yamanaka clan had knowledge of the pills, however those alliances went back generations.

Kurama was thrilled to finally get a C ranked mission. The more successful missions he had under his belt the easier it would be to qualify for promotions. Before he was bound he had roamed across the Elemental Nations and he was now eager to see how some of the areas had changed.

Truth be told he was also looking forward to killing some foolish bandits. It had been a while since he had felt life depart an enemy in battle. He doubted it would be as satisfying as doing it in his true form but he would take what he could get. After this mission there would be a couple more weeks of training, possibly another C ranked mission and then there would be the chūnin exams. He had pushed his team and they would not hinder his progress. Once he became a chūnin he could begin focusing on fuinjutsu.

Due to Kurama's enhanced senses he was the first one to notice that there were two shinobi waiting in ambush for them. They didn't have a lot of chakra, however that didn't tell him much about their ability. One could be a taijutsu specialist and have the chakra of a genin and the skills of a jōnin. Alternatively one could have the chakra of a jōnin but have the abilities of a genin, which was exactly what his host had been like before he had taken over.

Kurama kept a careful eye on the rest of his team and wondered if they would sense the enemy. He could detect only the slightest increase in tension from his sensei that let him know he also knew. Ino and Chōji had given no signs of being aware of the threat.

'They are hiding in a puddle of water. Probably Suiton specialists.'

Kurama waited for the enemy to move before reacting. The two rushed out with a razor sharp chain between them. Asuma drew his trench knives and instantly coated them with his chakra affinity. One slash cut the chain in pieces as his two opponents rushed past him.

Kurama was already launching senbon coated with his paralytic at both of the enemy shinobi. Both shinobi raised metal clawed gauntlets that deflected the senbon away. That was fine since he had aimed them directly toward their face; the blocky gauntlet shielded their vision.

'Should have crouched lower or evaded instead of blocking your vision fools.'

In that momentary loss of line of sight Kurama threw two kunai at maximum speed and power at their legs. One managed to sense the oncoming projectile and leap over it however the other failed to notice and took a kunai to the shin. He let out a grunt of pain as he tumbled to the earth. The one who managed to avoid the attack was immediately intercepted by the much faster Asuma.

A quick clash of steel on steel and then a devastating cut across the neck felled the one.

Chōji had frozen for a moment at the beginning of the fight but quickly recovered and put his bulk in front of Tazuna. Ino had reacted quickly enough though not with the swiftness of Kurama or Asuma. She threw her senbon at the shinobi Naruto had wounded. The missing nin rolled away from the slender projectiles in time to see his brother's jugular ripped open.

With a busted leg he had no chance of victory at this point. With Kurama's poison speeding through his veins his movements were already becoming sluggish and seconds later he collapsed as the paralytic fully set in.

The man collapsed and Asuma stripped him of weapons. He secured the prisoner and then turned on the bridge builder.

"These two are missing nin from Kirigakure. Any idea why they decided to ambush us?"

Tazuna did his best to lie with a straight face; however Kurama could smell the stink of fear on him. He had already had it about him during the fight and now it sharpened as Asuma questioned him.

"I have no idea. Maybe they were after you. Didn't you brag earlier that you had a bounty on your head?"

Asuma let out a bit of killing intent, clearly not buying his story.

"There is good money in luring out shinobi to get ambushed. Were you working with them? Grab a couple of clan kids for ransom and collect on my bounty?"

"What? No, no, nothing like that!"

Asuma quirked an eyebrow and waited. Tazuna sighed heavily. He began his explanation and it had the ring of truth to it. Kurama thought Nami no Kuni must be pretty pathetic to just let a foreign merchant in and overthrow it entirely. And now the feeble nation couldn't even muster up enough funds to pay for more than a C ranked mission?

Asuma lit his cigarette and considered what to do. In situations like this Konohagakure would be perfectly within their rights to keep their fee and leave their client high and dry for his deception. But it didn't feel right to him. Gatō sounded like a real piece of work. When he had served in the court of the Daimyo he had run into his fair share of rich scum like him.

"Normally we would return to the village and you'd be out your fee. But I'll let my team decide what we do. Since the client lied you'll still get paid however it won't be listed as a successful C ranked mission on your records."

Kurama analyzed the situation quickly. He couldn't care less about Tazuna's problems though Chōji appeared to be moved by them. However if they completed the mission successfully even in the face of shinobi resistance it would prove beyond all shadow of a doubt they were ready for the chūnin exams. It would also give Ino and Chōji some more live battlefield experience.

Asuma smiled as Naruto energetically spoke up.

"We should help them Asuma-sensei!" Kurama didn't expand on the reasons for making that declaration. Chōji nodded firmly and Ino shrugged.

"We can handle this sensei," Ino chimed in.

Sarutobi was proud of his team. He wished he knew Naruto's specific motivations but it was a positive sign that he wanted to help other people. Now he just needed to make sure he could keep them all alive. Even if they were successful he had a bad feeling he was going to get a lecture about this from his father.

**AN: **I'm generally amused by the concept of two people having the same conversation and completely misinterpreting what the other person is saying. In this case Asuma thinks Kurenai dislikes Naruto which is why she didn't think anything of his torment with the Fire Thistle. Kurenai wasn't aware of the full extent of it and thought Asuma was just like the rest of the village and had it out for Anko.

Also, to head off any complaints – remember the Demon Brothers were *chumps* - Pre-sharingan Sasuke was handling them quite easily before Kakashi KOed both of them. No idea why they were listed as chūnin, they were genin levels of suck.


	14. Chapter 14: Mission to Wave Part II

**AN: **Sorry about the delay – I have not been in the mood to write. I have no plans to abandon this story but updates might continue to be sparse for some time.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 14:** Mission to Wave Part II

Asuma's team had moved deeper into Nami no Kuni. Unlike Hi no Kuni this land was quite humid. As one of the two elements he was proficient in was Katon it wasn't very much to Asuma's liking. His team had held up under their first battlefield test remarkably well. He now kept his guard up and on even higher alert than normal. The chance of shinobi resistance had gone from near zero to quite probable.

They had taken a small boat to get closer to the village and Asuma was glad to be on dry ground again.

'Drier at least.'

"Stay sharp everyone the risk is greater the closer we get to the village."

Chōji gave a sharp nod and a grunt. Ino replied, "Hai."

Naruto didn't reply at all. Asuma had no doubts that he had heard him however. Anko might have been unnecessarily cruel but she had also trained Naruto well. The slightest rustle of leaves, a bird call or even the slightest sound would have his eyes instantly dart to the direction the sound had come from.

Asuma wasn't about to forgive her that easily though. She could have done the same amount of training without deliberately tormenting the boy. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the whistling of blade through the air. He instantly shouted, "Down!"

*****BREAK*****

Zabuza watched his prey. As a master of the **Sairento Kiringu** (Silent Killing) it would be next to impossible for anyone to hear him coming. He was also skilled in keeping out of eyesight and using his surroundings to hide his presence. Naturally he was also able to forcibly shrink his chakra presence down to a trickle; it would take a highly skilled sensor or a dojutsu user to locate him. Even an Inuzuka would be hard pressed to locate him considering the steps he had taken to eliminate his scent and stay downwind.

He recognized Asuma. The man had a tremendous bounty on his head and was the son of the Sandaime Hokage. It had been a stroke of luck that the foolish bridge builder had hired a team that had such a prize bounty. The size of the price on his head nearly reached the amount that Gato was paying him for months of work! With it he could continue his own plans and leave this pathetic land.

Now he just had to collect it. With Asuma were three brats who were probably a genin team based on their age. The fat one was likely an Akimichi, the two blondes didn't show any clan markings. In any event they likely wouldn't be a serious threat. More importantly to him was that the softhearted Konoha village teachings may even lead to Asuma risking himself to save his charges.

Stepping lightly forward he prowled closer until they were in range and then threw his blade arced to cut right though all of them.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama was impressed by their stalker. If it wasn't for his biju sense he would not have physically detected him. At the very edge of his senses he also realized that there wasn't just one stalker, there was another shinobi hanging further back.

'My team hasn't sensed them yet. It would raise questions if I gave a warning before Asuma detected them.'

Kurama remained silent and continued on. Ino was next to him while Chōji was a little ways ahead. The shinobi continued moving closer until he was only fifty feet away.

'Must be a jōnin, he has still given away nothing that could be picked up by physical senses.'

Kurama was on hyper alert thanks to already being aware of their presence and therefore heard the whistle of the blade sailing through the air. A split second later Asuma shouted, "Down!"

Kurama was already moving and tackled Ino down to the ground. Asuma did the same for the bridge builder and Chōji. The giant blade swept over their heads and sank into a tree. The enemy shinobi went around his quarry to jump onto the hilt of his massive weapon.

'Adept at getting the drop on his enemy and he takes the time to show off? Either it's a distraction or it's an intimidation play.'

In any case he had no problems with beginning the fight on his own terms. A trio of poisoned senbon were launched from his hand right as Zabuza began to talk. The enemy jōnin twitched to the side and yanked out his blade.

"Hah, at least one of you runts has some killer instinct."

Undeterred by the first failure Kurama launched a few more senbon that were easily deflected. Asuma unsheathed his trench knives and called out. "Back off you three, you aren't ready for this guy. I know him from the bingo books, he's Zabuza Momochi, also known as **Kirigakure no Kijin** (Demon of the Hidden Mist). Protect the bridge builder."

Kurama channeled his host a bit in his reply. "No way Asuma-sensei this guy is going down!"

He said this while advancing forward and throwing a pair of kunai. Zabuza easily parried and Asuma cursed and charged him. The massive sword clanged against the Asuma's trench knives that were now coated with Futon energy. The two bore down against each other, strength evenly matched. Kurama halted his forward movement and darted to the side and threw a poisoned senbon aiming for his opponent's calf.

The missing nin kicked the senbon away with impressive agility, however this allowed Asuma to push forward and Momochi stumbled backwards. Before Asuma could capitalize Zabuza used Kawarimi to substitute himself with a rabbit closer to the bridge builder.

Ino and Chōji had set up position around Tazuna. The sudden appearance of Zabuza only 10 feet away was coupled with a blast of killing intent. Both Ino and Chōji felt an almost suffocating level of terror rise within them. Zabuza blazed forward ready to strike down all three of his near helpless targets.

Asuma had more ground to cover and dangerously used a Shunshin to put himself between his students and Zabuza. Kubikiribcōhō slashed into Asuma's weapon forcing his arm back toppling him over. Asuma turned his fall into a roll and blocked the next powerful swing.

Kurama barked an order, "Snap out of it or you will die!"

He took his place with his other two teammates ready to physically knock them out of their killing intent induced paralysis. It wasn't really their fault; killing intent was a hard thing to overcome when it emanated from someone so much more powerful than yourself. Fortunately both clan children did have some training in it and both had inner determination that allowed them to break its hold over them.

Seeing them free Kurama turned to analyze the fight with Asuma and the missing nin. Their speed and power were impressive. Anko could match their speed but he doubted she could deflect the blows like Asuma was doing. Of course she would be dodging, throwing weapons and summoning snakes the whole time, but still if he had to lay money on it he would favor Zabuza. It would only take a slight misstep and then the fight would be over.

Asuma, though, had the sheer physicality to go to toe to toe with the kenjutsu specialist. Kurama watched for an opening and when he found one he would attack with senbon laced with his strongest paralytic. So far the wily bastard had expertly avoided or deflected them.

'His movements are very sure, he must have trained with a senbon specialist to use the counters so precisely. My attacks are barely helping Asuma at all.'

*****BREAK*****

Zabuza was getting frustrated. It was rare for an opponent to be able to stand up to Kubikiribcōhō for so long. He knew that Asuma was a Futon specialist so using his favorite technique was out. The blond brat was good with those senbon and the places he was targeting wouldn't do much damage unless they were poisoned which made him even more wary. More worrisome was that his failsafe in case he started to lose the fight was compromised.

The plan was if he ever got into a fight that was heading south Haku would intervene and put him in a death like state with his senbon. A specialist in that weapon would know what they were capable of; he would know that senbon, placed correctly, could simulate death.

Zabuza ducked another blow from the chakra covered knife and deflected another damned needle. This could get ugly fast. Growling in frustration he feinted forward and then dashed away from the bearded jōnin. He put his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle.

*****BREAK*****

Haku had been with Zabuza for a long time. He had been trained by the missing nin, but more than just that he had been given purpose. Zabuza was his entire world. He had saved him from death and given him purpose. His purpose was to be a tool and he was thankful for it.

Haku liked to think he would do whatever was required but he also had hoped that he would never have to kill in Zabuza's service. The current role he played was perfect. All he had to do was watch Zabuza work. In the unlikely event the kenjutsu master was losing he would pretend to be a Kiri hunter nin and put him in a death like state and carry him to safety.

No need to kill.

He witnessed the battle and grew concerned. The big man with the trench knives was matching Zabuza blow for blow. Worse for his master was that he couldn't dedicate himself entirely to the fight because one of the younger shinobi was expertly throwing senbon at him.

'Zabuza will have need of me.'

But not in the way Haku had thought. Instead of letting Haku pretend to take him down Zabuza had let out the signal for Haku to engage the enemy directly. Haku's heart thudded in his chest. He didn't want to kill. But his precious person had called and he would come.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma had started the fight upset with Naruto. He was going to have a long talk with the boy about listening to his battlefield commander, let alone the fact he was his sensei. In the beginning when it looked like Naruto was charging forward Asuma had to move forward and was drawn away from the bridge builder and the other two genin. It was hard to use a Shunshin in battle and he was lucky he hadn't taken a nasty wound with his rushed attempt to interpose himself between Zabuza and his charges.

After that Naruto had redeemed himself. The senbon were doing an admirable job of distracting Zabuza. Asuma had to believe that he could outlast his opponent considering how heavy that oversized sword must be. And once the missing nin got tired he would get sloppy and Asuma would prove just why the bounty on his head was so high.

Zabuza unexpectedly retreated and let out a loud whistle.

'Damn, he brought some friends.'

Asuma whirled around looking for additional threats. Before he could spot anything Zabuza made a few hand seals and now there were ten of him. Mizu Bunshin were some of the weakest types of elemental clones. They only held a fraction of the original's power; they were primarily used for distractions or for taking out weak opponents.

Asuma wasn't concerned about his ability to cut through them with ease but the clones weren't heading for him, they were circling around to attack his students. The original came at him with full strength handling his oversized weapon with ease. Asuma grit his teeth and began to dance in earnest.

*****BREAK*****

Ino had never felt such a stifling fear before. She hadn't expected it and was completely unprepared to resist the killing intent until Naruto had shouted at her. Ino flushed lightly in shame, she was the heir to the Yamanaka clan! Falling for someone's intimidation efforts was embarrassing.

She and Chōji followed orders and protected their charge while Naruto went off and did his own thing. As she watched the battle she saw how carefully Naruto interjected into the fight with his poisoned senbon, not once did they impair Asuma-sensei's movements while causing maximum annoyance for the strangely dressed missing nin.

She was still afraid – but she wouldn't let that affect her. Her father had always taught her that acknowledging fear was no shame. The sharp, sure and deadly movements of Asuma and Zabuza made her realize just how far she had to go before becoming an elite shinobi. It would take more than a couple of months of training! That fact made her esteem for Naruto rise higher, somehow he was able to follow it all and not interfere with Asuma's moves in the slightest!

When Zabuza created clones she gripped her kunai tighter. They were circling around and headed for her and Chōji. She never saw the senbon that raced to her but she did hear the clang of metal on metal as Naruto's kunai deflected the deadly projectiles inches from her face.

Ino glanced to where the senbon came from and saw a figure in a mask approach with more senbon ready to throw. She didn't have too much time to think about it as one of the Mizu Bunshin swung his blade to decapitate her. It wasn't moving nearly as fast as the original and she thanked Naruto for the additional training as she dodged to the side and countered with a kunai to the arm. Her kunai splashed straight through the water clone as it dissipated from her strike.

Inoichi's daughter pivoted and tossed her kunai at another clone. It dodged and came on with an overhand cut. She was ready to dodge away but it ended up not being necessary as a senbon struck the side of the clone. It was enough to destroy the integrity of the clone and Ino was splashed with its watery remains.

*****BREAK*****

Chōji had not done much in the fight but look after the bridge builder as the battle exploded around him. He had fingered the pouch that kept the pills his father had given him.

'I don't know if they would do any good. They increase my strength, stamina and chakra not my speed. Asuma and that missing nin are going too fast for me to follow!'

And that killing intent… it made him want to throw up. Something that had never happened in Chōji's life! Hearing Naruto's voice had helped and allowed him to move but the crippling fear was still there. It wasn't until he saw Ino cut down one of the water clones that he broke out of it fully and fought back. It was just in time too as another one of the clones was about to slice him in two!

Chōji ducked under the blade and lashed out with a punch to the clone's chest. The clone twisted to avoid it while bringing its sword back around for another strike. Chōji's increased taijutsu training came in handy as he kicked out and struck the arm holding the weapon. That was enough to make the clone splash apart.

He glanced over to Naruto who had engaged the new opponent on the battlefield. Senbon flashed between the two of them, sometimes clinking apart in the air. Chōji split his attention between Naruto's fight and Asuma's fight. He would be ready if any clones, projectiles or other attacks came his way.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama saw that his opponent was a ranged specialist. With that being the case the best option was to get in close and end it quickly. His attacks were deadly accurate with the senbon but Kurama was only somewhat taxed in dodging and deflecting them all. He sent his own projectiles out but they failed to connect either. Not because his aim was off but due to the movements and skills of his enemy.

He could sense the spike in anxiety in his opponent followed by an instant of grim determination. Kurama was close now and was about to ramp up his speed when his opponent made a hand seal. Mirrors of ice appeared all around Kurama and the masked shinobi was now on the inside of the mirror ahead of him.

The mirrors were actually floating so **Doton: Retsudo Tenshō** (Earth Release: Earthquake Slam) would be unlikely to be effective. Moreover he could feel chakra interconnect the mirrors together, and it did not just lace together to create a dome. The lines of chakra he sensed would prevent Kawarimi or **Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu **(Earth Release: Headhunter Technique) from allowing him to escape the trap.

Kurama did not stop his charge, instead he threw a brace of kunai at some of the other mirrors and drew another kunai and stabbed down on the mirror right in front of him. The powerful kunai strike would have shattered glass, carved through wood and potentially even have gone through solid rock. It did little but dent the ice. Needless to say the thrown kunai didn't even do that much.

"It is futile. You cannot escape **Makyō Hyōshō** (Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals)."

As tempting as it was to shed his current form and rip the insolent shinobi's head off that would ruin his cover and spoil his plans. Instead he barked out a laugh.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I've been personally trained by Anko Mitarashi and you are going down!"

Kurama kicked out at the mirror attempting to harm it with blunt force where the kunai had failed. It didn't crack and he had to quickly spin and deflect a barrage of senbon that Haku had fired from one of the mirrors behind him.

The masked shinobi appeared in another mirror, threw senbon and then jumped to the next travelling at speeds that even surpassed elite jōnin. However once the senbon left the mirror they travelled at the normal speed of a thrown projectile and that meant Kurama could dodge or deflect them. He did so but soon the senbon were coming from all directions. Twenty one mirrors meant there were a lot of attack vectors.

Kurama snarled and began using the full speed that his host possessed. He dare not use any of his own chakra and so he was stuck deflecting and dodging at upper chūnin levels. It wasn't going to be enough, blocking that many senbon was virtually impossible even if he could move at the speeds shinobi like Anko possessed.

Once again he thought about unleashing his true form and killing everyone, including his team. They were far enough away from Konoha that no one would sense his chakra. This tiny pathetic country would certainly sense it however and if rumors got out about a biju's chakra being sensed and he was the only survivor from the mission... it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

Kurama also felt a tendril of disquiet at the thought of annihilating his team along with these missing nin. He didn't want to see it happen. He told himself it was because it would make all the work he put into his teammates go to waste however if he was honest that wasn't the real reason. He drove all of those thoughts from his mind as he tried to figure out a way out of this powerful jutsu.

Faced with not being able to deflect or dodge all of the attacks he settled for only avoiding the potentially lethal or paralyzing attacks. Needles were painful but unless they struck a nerve cluster or artery they weren't too damaging. And so far poison wasn't being used and if that changed Kurama had counters available. And this body was more adept at healing wounds than a typical shinobi due to being a jinchūriki.

As a biju he also could sense chakra and right now his opponent was burning through it at an incredible pace.

'You have the advantage now but I'll outlast you. When the mirrors come down I'll rip your throat open.'

*****BREAK*****

Asuma was glad to see his squad was able to deal with the Mizu Bunshin. Those types of clones were typically used as distraction rather than a true weapon. They were still genin though and he had worried. He was more alarmed when another shinobi used some sort of bloodline ability to trap Naruto. He couldn't leave his foe to help; if he did Zabuza would kill Tazuna and probably finish Ino and Chōji off on general principal.

'Come on Naruto, stay alive.'

The bearded jōnin had pushed the fight to a higher level. Zabuza was forced on the defensive as Asuma used his humming trench knives to good use.

"You're good Sarutobi; I can see why your bounty is as high as it is. But once Haku gets done with the blond brat you're dead."

Asuma grunted and replied with a vicious cross slash that Zabuza barely blocked.

"Naruto was trained by psychotic bitch that nearly killed him and liked torturing him for kicks. He'll beat your Haku."

Zabuza laughed and danced backwards again nearing the river. He was forcing Asuma to pursue him. He could give ground and wait and seemed utterly confident in his partner's abilities. Asuma knew it would be dangerous to pursue him onto the water where his Suiton affinity would be put to good use but he felt that he had little choice.

**AN:** I hope everyone enjoyed it. I experimented a little bit with this fight – having multiple perspectives go back in time a bit to see their reaction. Let me know what you think of it.


	15. Chapter 15: Mission to Wave Part III

**AN:** I got a lot of grief over the last chapter about Kurama expressing some amount of concern for his teammates beyond them being tools for his plan. Let me explain – Kurama is not pure evil. He is a creature who has been wronged and wants revenge and also doesn't place a high value on human life. However if you have ever taught someone directly (i.e. not in a large auditorium but 1:1 for an extended period of time) you know that a connection forms. It is incredibly natural and while Kurama isn't 'human' he does have human-like emotions and traits. When you teach someone you begin to care, an emotion Kurama wants to bury because he doesn't like it but one that is still present. That being said Kurama isn't going to become a nice fuzzy ball of good deeds. You could say he will be gray, albeit a very dark shade of gray.

Hopefully this helps explain what he is feeling for Ino and Chōji. If the story is moving in a direction away from 'murder everyone Kurama' and you dislike it, I understand. I hope you enjoyed what you read so far. For everyone else – please keep reading and reviewing!

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 15:** Mission to Wave Part III

Haku stayed calm despite his chakra beginning to dip dangerously low. His opponent seemed implacable. He had been struck dozens of times by senbon but none of them had struck a vital spot. The needles themselves weren't incredibly dangerous unless they struck a vital spot, a set of nerves or key arteries. The blond haired Konoha shinobi was clearly familiar with how senbon worked and only allowed himself to be hit when the strike would not hit something vital.

Even so the senbon had to hurt and each one did cause a small wound, with the number he had taken he should be hard pressed to keep up his frantic defense. Haku continued to fire senbon from multiple mirrors at the same time.

'He has to slow down. He has to.'

But his opponent wasn't slowing down a bit. He still moved at the same rate of speed and with extreme precision. As Haku's reserves continued to fall due to the intense chakra requirements of **Makyō Hyōshō** (Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals) he noticed a feral grin appear on his opponent.

'Can he sense my chakra? How can he smile with senbon riddling his body?'

Haku felt a spike of fear rise up within him. It wasn't fear of death; it was fear of failing Zabuza.

The Kekkei Genkai user was certain that if he didn't end the fight soon he would have failed Zabuza. The look in the boy's eyes promised that as soon as he escaped the mirrors Haku's lifespan would be numbered in seconds.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma chased the missing nin out onto the water. In any other situation he would never put himself in such a disastrous tactical position, but he had no choice.

'But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve Zabuza.'

Zabuza knew about his bingo book entry which meant he knew about his fighting style, his Katon and Futon jutsu. That meant he would have to show him something he rarely used.

Asuma sliced through a water clone and barely dodged away from the real Zabuza who attempted to trap him in a water prison.

'Shit, that was close.'

It was not a water clone, it had moved too fast for that to be the case. Asuma smirked slightly and brought out an ace technique that he was certain the missing nin would not have seen before. Asuma brought his left hand down and made the half ram seal. His other hand was placed palm down parallel to the watery surface.

Zabuza cocked his head quizzically and then brought his blade around to strike down the seemingly defenseless Asuma. His blade struck down diagonally toward the barded jōnin's chest. Golden light radiated out from Asuma and a thousand armed Kannon appeared. Kubikiribōchō slashed through the first two fists that defended Asuma. The third stopped the blade cold and then the Kannon erupted into an angry shade of red and the other nine hundred plus fists began to barrage Zabuza relentlessly.

Asuma watched with satisfaction as his **Raigō: Senjusatsu** (Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder) technique pummeled his foe. Zabuza was blasted backward but the Kannon snagged his arm and pulled him back within range to continue the onslaught. 

*****BREAK*****

Kurama could see his opponent's movements growing more frantic as his chakra levels plummeted. The senbon continued to pierce through the non-essential parts of his body but they failed to make a real impact on his ability to fight. A slow malicious grin formed on his face as the masked boy's chakra dipped to critical levels.

The mirrors crashed down around him and Kurama sped forward to come to grips with his opponent. The shinobi used Kawarimi and the fox's strike smashed a log to pieces. Three senbon flew from behind him and he batted them aside. Kurama rushed forward again tossing a few kunai to serve as a distraction. Haku attempted to Kawarimi again but he misjudged the timing as Kurama's Hebi style surprised him with a sharp increase of speed at the last moment.

Kurama's kunai punched through Haku's shoulder and the masked nin gave out a cry of pain as his jutsu was disrupted. Haku used his other hand to try to stab Kurama with a pair senbon curled in his fist but it was easily blocked. The kunai was left embedded in the shoulder as the kyūbi released it, drew back his fist and doubled over Haku with a vicious punch to the stomach. His next strike was a downward chop to the skull that crumpled Haku to the ground.

Haku looked up just in time to see the kunai flash down into his throat. His last thoughts were twofold; glad that he had not had to kill another living being in the service of Zabuza but also regret for failing him so completely.

Kurama took in a deep breath, reveling in his victory. It was enjoyable to kill his enemies, even if it was in this paltry form.

'This won't so bad, living in this shell, as long as I can do this often.'

He turned to see how the other half of the battle was fairing.

Zabuza had just been pummeled to within an inch of his life by Asuma's jutsu. The missing nin lay atop the water, his chakra system keeping him floating by instinct. He watched as Asuma put the shinobi out of his misery with a quick decapitating strike with his Futon enhanced trench knife.

Kurama was glad that Asuma survived. It would have diminished their chances of being selected for the next chūnin exam if their sensei were to have perished.

'Yes, this is going perfectly to plan. There will be no doubt in anyone's minds that we are ready to be chūnin. And once I become chūnin I can start learning the accursed fuinjutsu arts that I am vulnerable to.'

It was a happy Kurama who rejoined his team as Asuma checked for injuries.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma breathed a sigh of relief seeing the other shinobi was also down. He was rather impressed with Naruto. He had taken on an extremely dangerous opponent, a Kekkei Genkai user was no joke. They were considered some of the most dangerous shinobi since they broke the rules of how ninjutsu was supposed to work.

He hadn't come out of it unscathed though. He looked like a porcupine with needles stuck in his arms, shoulder, parts of his back and legs. Naruto had begun taking them out one by one and wincing with pain as he did so.

"You all right there Naruto?"

"I am sensei, but these senbon hurt a lot!"

Ino covered her mouth. "Naruto, how can you say you are all right? Here let me help."

Naruto put his hand up. "No Ino, I got it. Some of these senbon are near vital points and I need to make sure I take them out properly."

Chōji looked over to where a pile of hundreds and hundreds of senbon lay. He whistled and shook his head.

Asuma looked at the pile as well and mimicked his student's reaction.

'I still think Anko is sick but I have a hard time arguing with results. This kid was dead last and now he is easily chūnin level.'

"I'm proud of you all. We don't expect genin to go out and deal with jōnin on their first C rank mission. All of you kept your cool and protected Tazuna. Naruto, you displayed solid teamwork and dealt with a major threat. It was close but we did it and not only have we gone a long way toward completing the mission but we are also going to collect a nice bounty on that missing nin."

Asuma took out a storage scroll and sealed in Zabuza's head and blade. Kirigakure would pay a pretty penny for the return of one of their seven legendary swords as well as Momochi's head. He saw Naruto watching with interest as he used the minor fuinjutsu powered scroll.

Ino looked down. "We don't really deserve a share of the reward; all we did was take care of some clones while you and Naruto did all the work."

Naruto jumped in exuberantly. "No way Ino! You and Chōji protected the bridge builder. You earned this, believe it!"

Asuma was glad to see Naruto sticking up for his teammates and to hear him speaking that way. It was a good sign that he wouldn't be too impacted about his killing Zabuza's partner. Shinobi handled their first kills in a variety of ways. Some were devastated, that was always annoying to deal with. Others reveled in it, which was a different type of worry. It looked as if Naruto was handling his first kill quite well.

'It probably helped that the shinobi attacked his team and that he was injured. Defending yourself from an attack lessens guilt as opposed to an assassination mission as their first kill.'

Asuma tore himself away from his thoughts and addressed Ino.

"We are a team and we all earned it. And don't ever turn away money, it is always useful. You can equip yourself with better weapons, purchase exotic poisons or even have some genin do your household chores." Asuma ended with a laugh at the looks he received from his last comment.

Tazuna thanked all of them and after Naruto finished pulling out all of the senbon and Asuma gave him a once over they were on their way.

*****BREAK*****

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully. When they arrived in the village proper Ino gasped at the sheer poverty she witnessed. Whatever she had been expecting, this was not it. Most of the people she saw were malnourished. Some were begging on the streets looking close to death. The young heiress was chilled by what she saw. Nothing like this happened in Konoha.

Tazuna saw her face. "This is Gatō's doing. We didn't use to be like this. But he came in and strong armed his way to power. When people stood up to him they were killed."

Ino saw Chōji's face twist. His normal jovial features took an ugly turn.

"No one should have to go hungry. This is inhumane."

Chōji always guarded his food zealously but now Ino saw him take out his pack and start distributing the rations they had brought with them. After a moment Ino did the same and then Naruto. A crowd of children mobbed them and soon their food was gone.

She had to force tears away from her yes. The looks on their famished faces was heartbreaking. Ino was grateful when they arrived at Tazuna's residence. She never wanted to see those faces again but she knew they would remain with her for a very long time.

*****BREAK*****

Asuma was a veteran of the political machinations of the daimyo's court. He knew that even if the bridge builder finished his task and the great bridge was complete nothing would change. If Gatō could hire a shinobi of Zabuza's caliber then it would be child's play to hire someone to destroy said bridge. Even a chūnin demolitions expert could get the job done in a pinch.

A more permanent solution was needed if these people were to be free. Assassinating Gatō was not without risk. He could have shinobi bodyguards on him for one, though he doubted any of them would be as formidable as the Demon of the Mist. Another concern was the aftermath of the assassination. Gatō had close ties with nobles in many lands. Retaliatory attacks could be made but he wasn't worried about that. What did worry him was that the reputation of Konoha could be impugned.

Unlike many villages Konoha didn't officially take assassination missions during times of peace. Asuma knew that unofficially they still occurred but they were still quite rare.

Thankfully that issue too was solved by an Academy jutsu and a little bit of acting. And that is how Asuma found himself walking up to Gatō's mansion under the guise of a **Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Jutsu) and wielding Kubikiribōchō.

Gatō had a large number of guards but the majority didn't even know how to wield chakra. He could sense a few who were probably runaway genin or failed students as well but they too wouldn't be an issue.

"Take me to Gatō." He did a rough imitation of Zabuza's voice while raising a bit of killing intent. The mercenaries quickly took him to their paymaster.

The small man yelled at soon as he saw what he thought was Zabuza.

"You miserable failure! You couldn't handle killing that old man? Hah, so much for the so called 'Demon of the Mist.' You're useless!"

Asuma was mildly amused at the small man's stupidity. Zabuza must have been desperate to put up with the man's arrogance.

He continued to pretend to use Zabuza's voice. "They killed my partner. I'm not done yet, they are going to pay for what they did."

Gatō shook his head. "I don't know why I even bother with you. Kill them now before they finish their stupid bridge."

Asuma spiked his killing intent and several of the mercenaries froze in place.

"I've had enough of your lip you toad!"

With a roar Asuma charged with the great cleaver and slashed two of the more strong willed guards apart.

"I'll kill those Konoha bastards but first I'll kill you!"

Gatō stumbled backward and screamed for more guards. Asuma darted forward and before the wealthy man could say another word he was run through and pinned against the wall.

Asuma, still in his Zabuza guise, looked at the man's bodyguards. "Who wants to be next?"

Unlike their boss they weren't complete fools. This man was an elite shinobi. It was possible they could overwhelm him with numbers but the casualties would be enormous and no one wanted to go first. After one single tense moment they all fled away from Asuma.

'Well that ought to muddy the waters enough for no one to cast blame on Konoha.'

Asuma chalked it up as a good day and left the mansion. Once he was sure he was alone he dispelled the Henge and hurried back to Tazuna's home. If he hurried he could still make the dinner the old man's daughter had been cooking.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama ate with the rest of the team. He thought back on the day and felt everything had gone as well as it could. He got a chance to kill someone. He cemented more loyalty with his team and planted a clue for further interest in fuinjutsu with Sarutobi. Everything was great except for the prattle he was listening to know.

The old man's grandson was now going on about how what they were doing was useless. Pathetic creature really.

"It doesn't matter how strong you are, Gatō is going to kill all of you too!"

Asuma entered into the home puffing a cigarette.

"Actually kid, Gatō is dead. Some missing nin killed him in front of his hired thugs."

Kurama had to fight to keep the smirk off his face. He had to applaud the man; he had felt his presence arriving at the home. The jōnin must have heard part of the earlier commotion and had waited for the opportune moment to step in and share the news.

The boy was speechless. His mother started to get teary eyed while Tazuna had a huge grin on his face. His teammates looked confused for a moment but Asuma gave them a look that said they would talk later.

'I should have looked confused as well. I need to keep my guard up, he's smart and observant.' Kurama chided himself.

Asuma filled the silence. "We'll stay here until the bridge is complete. From there trade should resume and I'd use some of that coin to hire your own guards. At least until you can train your own people. Gatō isn't the only piece of trash with money. You can't allow your nation to be fully dependent on foreign shinobi."

Kurama was now impatient to get back to Konoha. His goals were coming closer and closer to fruition. Chōji and Ino weren't where he wanted them but they were improving steadily and he was sure he could cover any weaknesses they had. They were going to be ready and Kurama could already taste victory.

*****BREAK*****

Team Ten returned from the mission without further incident. They marched to the Hokage tower with their heads held high. They had been through a harrowing experience. On top of that they had saved a land that had suffered from the rule of a monstrous despot.

Asuma had given them clear instructions to not talk about details of the mission with anyone else. The timeline that the world would know was that Zabuza and his partner confronted their team. His partner was killed. Then Zabuza had a confrontation with Gatō and killed him. The missing nin then fought Asuma again and he was killed. The Hokage would know the truth but no one else should.

Asuma was feeling pretty good about himself. That good mood lasted until he reported to the Hokage. His old man dismissed the rest of the team, sent his ANBU guards away and spoke with Asuma privately.

"What is this?" He threw down the report and gestured toward it.

Asuma frowned. "It is the mission report. I took down Zabuza and freed Nami no Kuni from Gatō. All of the details are in it."

The Sandaime slammed his hand on the desk.

"They were not ready for this kind of mission! As soon as you learned that they were going to be fighting shinobi the difficult of the mission automatically rose to a B rank. Even dealing with a B rank would be beyond appropriate for a rookie genin team. And then you encountered the Demon of the Mist!"

Asuma grunted at the verbal lashing he was receiving. He tried to keep his temper in check but his father always made him lose his cool.

"Damn it, if this was any one of your other jōnin you would be congratulating them on their achievement. I recovered one of the prized swords of Kirigakure! I killed Momochi! We will be able to improve relations with Kirigakure and we successfully completed our mission which will make us legends in Nami no Kuni."

Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, you managed to improve the legend of Asuma Sarutobi. I know how proud you are of the bounty on your head. Couldn't resist the lure of even more fame? Who cares about the welfare of your students when you had another opportunity to come out from under my shadow?"

"It wasn't about that! The team decided!"

"The team consists of Naruto and two clan heirs! They are fresh out of the Academy, you are their sensei and you should be the one protecting them from overreaching. You should have turned back after encountering the Demon Brothers."

Asuma glared at the Hokage. His words were not untrue but results mattered. At the end of the day a dangerous missing nin had been dealt with and his team had garnered valuable experience. He still fervently believed his earlier statement had been on the money. If it had been Kakashi, Gai or Kurenai they would not have gotten this reaction.

"Is there anything else Hokage-sama?" Asuma asked in a tight voice.

Hiruzen sighed and stayed silent for several long moments. "No, that will be all. I'm glad you and your team are all right."

Without another word Asuma stalked out of his father's office.

**AN: **In general I think Kakashi is stronger than Asuma, however the fight was a little different. Zabuza could not use his mist techniques and was probably a little worn down after having to deal with the launched senbon and Asuma. I also consider **Raigō: Senjusatsu **to be a pretty deadly jutsu that even gives S ranked shinobi pause.

As always please review! I also started a new story (Shinobi no Kami) – please take a look and let me know what you think.


	16. Chapter 16: Preparing

Chapter 16

**AN: **Nope I haven't forgotten this story! I think Shinobi no Kami and Genius Sensei have gotten a better reception but I still intend to keep writing this one.

Special thanks to GJMEGA for his awesome beta work!

**Chapter 16:** Preparing

Team Ten was thrilled with the amount of money that came their way for Zabuza's head. The missing nin had been worth quite a bit. Attempting to lead a coup against the Kage of his village had placed a significant bounty on his head. The fact that he had escaped Kirigakure with one of the seven legendary swords was just icing on the cake.

This made them happy for a number of reasons. Kurama found the funds quite useful in terms of obtaining rare and more exotic poisons that fewer shinobi would be immune to. Perhaps even more importantly was that the team did not need to do additional D ranks in order to bring in needed funds. That meant more time for training.

Chōji was keen on spending on his additional funds on his stomach. The Akimichi clan could put out a good spread but they didn't have a monopoly on restaurants and fine dining. His parents hadn't given him unlimited spending money so he had not yet sampled some of the more expensive dining establishments. A situation that he quickly corrected.

Much to the horror of the other two genin Ino wanted to lead a shopping expedition to get all of them additional wardrobes.

"I don't want to hear any complaining, all of us wear the same damned clothing all the time! We need to diversify and wear more than one outfit!"

Few things could surprise Kurama but the realization that nearly everyone across Konoha seemed to wear the same gear and garb on a consistent basis was astonishing. How had he not even realized? Sure there was more variation among the civilians but for shinobi they were almost rigid in their clothing selection.

Kurama would have liked to refuse, and he certainly could have, however he knew this was important to the Yamanaka heir and he wanted to ensure she stayed the course with his additional training sessions. Chōji agreed, as he was apt to do, and the three set out to furnish multiple outfits to wear.

'He's agreeable toward everything except giving me access to **Sanshoku no Gan'yaku** (Three Colored Pills). But this does present an opportunity; he likely carries them with him wherever he goes. It appears there will be some benefit to this otherwise wasteful afternoon.'

Chōji, like Kurama, was required by the young fashion dictator to try on the outfits she thought were good looks for them. He would have to be quick but he could rifle through Chōji's clothing while he was changing. Before taking over Naruto's body the boy possessed an almost uncanny ability in stealth. Training with Anko had taken an already powerful skill set for misdirection and stealth and honed it into something even greater.

And since he knew that one day he would be looking to take the powerful pills away from Chōji he already had replicas made out of food coloring around mashed together soldier pills. And like Kurama had expected making the swap was easy enough.

'Now that I have them how do I go about testing them? I need to know how this body will react to them before I use them in battle. Perhaps Anko could help.'

The day seemed to drag on but in the end they each had several outfits that met Ino's approval. And there was enough time to visit the dango shop that Anko often frequented.

*****BREAK*****

Anko would never admit it but she missed working with the little gaki. He could be a right annoying twit at times but his perseverance had won her respect. Anko was glad to see him approach her. Rumors had flown around the village about Asuma bringing back the head of Zabuza, the third most feared missing nin of Kirigakure. She wouldn't give a rat's tail about Asuma himself after the way he treated Kurenai but she had been dying to hear about it from Naruto.

She idly threw a kunai at his head that he easily snagged out of the air.

"Normal people just say hello."

"Normal is boring, what brings you here?"

She saw that Naruto looked a bit uneasy. If she hadn't known him so well she probably would have missed it.

"It was bad out there. We almost died and I really want to make sure I can protect my team better. And I was hoping you could help."

Anko had to force herself not to smile.

"Well if you buy some dango and tell me what happened I'll see if I can help."

Naruto grinned at her. "You're the best Anko-sensei, two orders of dango coming up!"

His enthusiasm was always interesting to watch. At times it had grated on her nerves but it was simply a part of who Naruto was. She was glad that his first dangerous mission hadn't ground it out of him.

Anko actually found his story fascinating. Zabuza was no joke and the way Naruto assisted Asuma was absolutely perfect. That he then dealt with a Kekkei Genkai user basically on his own was also impressive. She preened a bit and basked in what she considered some well justified pride. She took the dobe of the Academy and turned him into a powerful and skilled shinobi. He was easily chūnin level at this point.

"Good story kid, now what do you need my help with?"

Anko saw some of the nervousness creep back into the boy's posture.

"Well, I want to protect my team. And to do that I took something that I think will help me be stronger." He leaned forward, "I stole my Akimichi teammate's special food pills."

Anko blinked. "Well shit."

*****BREAK*****

Kurama never showed an emotion he didn't want someone to see. It was a bit taxing however to pretended to only partially hide nervousness. Getting the right amount of deception in to reinforce his existence as Naruto complicated to balance. If he simply faked the emotion it would be suspicious. If he hid the emotion completely Anko would be suspicious. Having to fake hide fake emotions was a skill that he doubted his fellow bijū would be able to replicate.

'But of course none of them have my power.'

He had just finished explaining to his former sensei what he had done. He wasn't certain that she would help him. But even if she refused he doubted that she would report him. And even if she did his place in the village was secure so it wasn't like he would face truly difficult adverse consequences.

He saw her surprised blink as she muttered, "Well shit."

Kurama waited to see what else she would say and do.

"Every time I think I've been successful in teaching you how to be a proper shinobi you ruin it for me by doing something moronic. What is the matter with you?"

'Let's see how well guilt works on you.'

"I had to do it! I need to be able to protect my friends. I… I can't lose anyone again. When Chōji told me about those pills I knew it could give me an edge. You even said I heal fast so the side effects shouldn't be as bad and… and I really need to keep them safe!"

Of course he was referring to the tragic deaths of the friendly ramen stand father and daughter duo. Anko was aware of the history there.

"Idiot! How will you keep them safe if you're locked away for violating clan law?"

Kurama paused, as he was on uncertain ground. Clan law? None of the Academy texts had made any mention of any of the details and how it pertained to this situation.

Anko looked at him expectantly and then paused herself. "Actually, no one has probably told you yet since you don't have the Sharingan or the Byakugan nor do you have any clan secrets." She sighed. "I guess I'll have to explain this to you too gaki."

Kurama was annoyed that possibly critical information had been withheld from him due to his host not being part of a recognized clan. All ears, he listened as Anko went over the topic.

"The village was founded by the Uchiha who have a dōjutsu that can copy almost all types of jutsu. This was fine when it was just the Senju and the Uchiha since the Senju had a Kekkei Genkai that couldn't be copied. But as other clans tried to join they wanted assurances that their hidden techniques, techniques that are clan secrets but do not require a bloodline, were not stolen from them. As much as everyone in the village is loyal to Konoha as a whole many still place their primary loyalties with their family and their clan."

Kurama nodded, that made sense. He could see where Anko was going with this but chose not to interrupt her.

She continued while idly twirling a kunai. "Laws were established that made it forbidden for any Konoha shinobi to try to learn another clan's secret technique. The penalty varies depending on the situation, and it can include death."

"Varies on what?" Kurama asked.

"On the offended clan's whim. That means if the Akimichi clan wanted you executed it would be their call to make."

"Jiji wouldn't do that to me!"

Anko pursed her lips. "Of course not, he'd much rather save the stray orphan's life than do what's best for the village. After all I'm sure you personally outweigh all of the power the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans bring to the village."

Kurama knew it wasn't that simple and he could spot a half truth when he heard it from her. Execute a jinchūriki? Execute the son of the Yondaime Hokage? The old man would never go for it. But imprisonment for a time? That _could_ happen and would cause his plans to languish.

"Well what am I supposed to do now? I need these pills to get stronger!"

Anko looked thoughtful. "You have to decide if it is worth the risk. If you return them now there probably won't be an issue. Or you can keep them and run the risk of execution. It all depends on how important having that power is to you."

"You mean you aren't going to report me?"

Anko gave an evil laugh. "Oh, I didn't say that Naruto-kun. I could still report you regardless of what you choose."

Kurama looked at his former sensei closely, trying to determine what her game was. Was she just trying to torment him? Was she offering her assistance while maintaining deniability? He could sense her emotions but that didn't necessarily help since they were conflicted. A part of Anko was delighting in making him squirm but another part was concerned. Kurama couldn't completely read her and it irritated him.

"What do you want?" He asked directly.

Anko chewed on her dango stick for a few moments. "What do I want? What an interesting question. Are you trying to bribe me?"

Kurama shook his head and lied through his teeth. "I am loyal to the village; I am going to become Hokage. You know all of this but you want to play games. I just want a straight answer. What will it take for you to help me with this?"

Anko continued her lazy pose and then flicked the stick at the blond. Kurama deflected it away and Anko grinned.

"All right here's the deal gaki. You return those pills to your teammate and apologize. Do it in front of your sensei and tell them you knew it was wrong but you wanted to protect them. Leave me out of it as it will make you look better. Don't try to lie since you're shit at it."

Kurama controlled his features but inwardly he was laughing at the completely inaccurate assessment of his skills at deception.

"Now as for getting stronger I happen to know a jōnin with a technique that would be perfect for you. You'll have to impress the hell out of him in order for him to teach it to you but it has the potential to surpass the power of those Akimichi pills."

Kurama's ears perked at that. He was sure that the Akimichi pills were a tad overblown in how well they worked but they obviously did something amazing to be talked of so highly. He was deeply curious as to what the technique was but Anko wasn't finished and now was not the time to pretend to be a cheeky brat that interrupts his betters.

"In exchange, I get you in the training field for eight hours every two months. I have a reputation to uphold as a sensei you know. I'm not going to trust your slacker of a sensei to get it right."

Kurama sensed something in her emotions. Pride? Anticipation? Jealousy? Something that made his stolen body's hackles rise was also there that he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Anko grinned showing her teeth. "For the full eight hours gaki, the only thing I promise is there won't be any permanent damage. Probably"

'This works out very well. She's a skilled sensei and while she will enjoy causing me various levels of discomfort in our 'training' it is nothing that I cannot handle. It is better this than risk running afoul with the Akimichi clan and their allies. I don't need that kind of attention.

He let the body smile in return. "You have yourself a deal Anko-sensei! More training is great, you're the best!"

"And don't you forget it brat."

*****BREAK*****

It had gone fairly well. Chōji hadn't even noticed the missing pills and was relieved that they hadn't been used. He was angry but relief warred with it as well as a healthy modicum of shame for not even realizing one of his clan's most powerful weapons had almost been compromised.

Asuma had been stern and had docked his pay for the next week's missions but that was relatively minor. Kurama didn't care about money; it was just a means to an end and as more advanced missions opened up it would be easy to earn additional pay.

Now that his confession was out of the way he would learn who this mysterious sensei with the powerful technique was. Anko, however, was unavailable to meet with him before their next C ranked mission would take place.

'It is like the entire village conspires to make things difficult.'

The latest C ranked mission was relatively simple. They had a sealed scroll that contained confidential orders to be handed to one of the border garrisons in Hi no Kuni. Asuma had explained that these missions were constantly going on.

Ino had asked, "Why not just send it via messenger bird?"

"Birds can be intercepted," Asuma replied. "I don't want to overstate the important of these documents but these scrolls often contain the names of our spies, the names of suspected enemy spies, outlined patrol plans, troop positions and specific orders for units stationed there. In the wrong hands it could be devastating."

Chōji tilted his head. "Then why is it only a C rank?"

"Because these missions are run very often and it would be costly to pay them at B rank rates!" Asuma laughed and got three flat looks from his genin.

"Lots of reasons actually, for one not all of these reports have highly important information that can't be lost. Some of them are just run of the mill reports. But due to their sheer number of these missions carried out throughout Hi no Kuni it makes it difficult for an enemy shinobi to figure out what would be worth potentially trigging a war over. Also not a whole lot of the teams get attacked. We are within Hi no Kuni and are one of the strongest villages. It does happen sometimes but not often enough to warrant being a B rank mission. If we were at war it would be different."

Kurama mulled it over some. It made sense for the most part but he had a nagging suspicion they weren't getting the full story. He wasn't worried of course, what were the odds that their second C ranked mission would have them meeting opposition of Zabuza's caliber?

**AN:** Fairly short chapter but I had a long drawn out idea filled with drama among the team due to Kurama stealing the special food pills that I was extremely unhappy with. Anyway I'm taking ideas for what unlikely/interesting event will occur on the team's second C ranked mission. The idea that most strikes my fancy will be written to! After the C rank it will be time for the chūnin exams.

Full disclosure, there probably won't be another chapter for a while. I've got some time off work in late October that I'm going to be dedicated a big chunk of that to finishing Genius Sensei. And right now Shinobi no Kami is of greater interest. That being said I'll reiterate I have no plans to abandon this story but it may be a while before it gets worked on again.


	17. Chapter 17: Mission and Training

Chapter 17

**AN:** It has been awhile. I have author ADD (sorry) and have been working on my Harry Potter story and my new LOTR/WOT crossover. For those who have stuck around - enjoy this latest chapter!

As always special thanks to my awesome beta GJMEGA!

**Chapter 17:** Mission and Training

Asuma set his team on a moderate pace toward the border outpost. He knew this was a simple mission and one that would be fairly safe. The border between Hi no Kuni and the lands controlled by Kusagakure were watchful and peaceful. The border fort was positioned on the Hi no Kuni side where the distance across Kusagakure from Tsuchi no Kuni was thinnest. There was a lot of bad blood between Iwa and Konoha but neither was in a good position to start something. The fact that the Land of Grass acted as a buffer between the two greater powers meant that the two sides should have very little chance of meeting.

That didn't mean there were no probing efforts performed. The Land of Grass was the site of a number of battles between Konoha and Iwa during the last great Shinobi War; meaning it was sparsely populated and it would be easy for skilled shinobi to slip across the border. The fact that Kusagakure was much weaker than its powerful neighbors meant it was unlikely to protest too heavily even if spies crossed over.

The incidents were rare but they had occurred. Last year a team of Iwa shinobi had crossed onto the Konohagakure, however they had been run off. Naturally Iwa claimed they were missing nin who were bent on causing trouble. Asuma didn't believe that for a second and neither did his father. However, paying the price of war over such a minor matter was unthinkable. Other than sending more squads to patrol the border, nothing had come of it.

"We'll rest here for the night. Ino you have first watch."

The genin nodded and proceeded to make camp. They were not in hostile territory so dangerous traps were not set. A few trip wires with bells attached were the only traps they used. Asuma placed a small genjutsu to help hide the presence of the trip wires and settled in for rest.

Asuma was pleased that the team dynamic had not suffered when Naruto confessed to his theft. The boy was lucky he had come forward instead of it being learned after the fact. Naruto had an amazing amount of potential and he could easily see him being successful in the upcoming chūnin exams. Ino and Chōji were not as ready, though they were solid. He suspected the team would get through the first parts of the exams quite easily. He idly wondered if his father would object to them taking the test so early.

'Screw him. I'm in charge of this team and I'll make the decision.'

Asuma was still not happy about the aftermath of the Wave mission. Naruto was important to the village, he knew that. From his perspective though, the only way to grow was to actually do missions. That was how he learned after all, by doing. Asuma settled in and forcefully turned his thoughts away from his father.

*****BREAK*****

They travelled for another two days and then their simple C ranked mission was once more elevated to a higher ranking. Chakra was flaring north-west of their position just a couple of miles away. Asuma flicked away his cigarette.

"Stay behind me until we can figure out what is going on. Let's move."

Asuma raced ahead and the three genin, save for Naruto, had to push themselves to their limits to follow. This was not the easy loping pace that they had become accustomed to. It was shy of the maximum speed Asuma could go but it was still sprinting.

Kurama could sense the chakra signatures. There were an even dozen combatants, no, now it was down to eleven. He made sure to keep a feral grin from his face. He had thoroughly enjoyed killing Zabuza's partner and here was another chance to kill more of these humans. His eyes drifted toward Ino and Chōji. Depending on the nature of their foes he might need to keep an eye on them. He told himself it was due to needing a full team to compete in the chūnin exams. A small stirring that suggested that wasn't the only reason was forcibly thrust out of his thoughts.

Team Ten came upon a shinobi battle in full swing. Eight shinobi, wearing no headbands, were in the process of fighting three Konoha shinobi who had likely been on border patrol duty. Kurama quickly spotted the chūnin vests on them that signaled their rank, the patrol evidently did not have a jōnin.

There were no identifiers to mark where the enemy was from. It wasn't hard to guess though considering a massive stone dragon nearly crashed into one of the patrol. Another shinobi burst from the ground attempting to complete an upward strike with his kunai. The strike was a partial success as the kunoichi who was back peddling failed to dodge fully and instead took vertical cut up her leg.

"Naruto, engage; Ino, Chōji, support our comrades." Asuma barked out his orders and his team flew into action.

Kurama grinned and sent a flurry of poisoned senbon at the nearest two opponents and then used **Doton: Retsudo Tenshō** (Earth Release: Earthquake Slam). The senbon were thrown with perfect accuracy, however the distance meant that his opponents had time to evade or deflect them. The spiral of earth at their feet was dodged easily enough thanks to their obvious familiarity with Doton jutsu.

A quick Shunshin sent Naruto blurring through his own finished jutsu and put him far ahead of his comrades, save for Asuma. His hands blurred as he used his modified **Dokugiri** (Poison Mist) technique. The gaseous version of his paralytic poison billowed all around him and sent the enemy nin scattering in all directions.

With the enemy in some disarray and spread out, Asuma began picking them off. The jōnin was one of the best shinobi of Konohagakure, even other jōnin were right to fear him. His opponents were not jōnin. The first one died thanks to Asuma's chakra laced trench knife slicing straight through an upraised tanto that would have the blocked the strike save for the Futon coating Asuma used on his knives. The next opponent tried to raise up an earthen wall but was a shade too slow and Asuma decapitated him.

The formerly on the verge of defeat Konoha patrol were supported by Chōji and Ino and the five of them faced off against four of the enemy. The Konoha nin were unable to make use of the slight numerical advantage and make a kill before Asuma had taken down two of the enemy.

Not expecting aid to arrive the enemy shinobi quickly called out a retreat. Kurama grinned viciously as one of the enemy shinobi tried to use **Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu** (Earth Release: Headhunter Technique) to get away. He flawlessly used the same jutsu and intercepted the invader. Underneath the earth no one saw him stick his enemy with two senbon. One laced with the paralytic and the other with the Fire Thistle venom. The senbon had been stuck into major arteries meaning the poisons were acting quite swiftly.

The way the Doton jutsu worked was by displacing earth, but it still carried some air with it. Kurama estimated the paralyzed enemy had about twenty pain filled minutes to live before he asphyxiated. Bloodlust temporarily sated he returned to the surface to continue chasing after his prey. Sadly for him, Asuma called him off before he could make another kill.

All told they ended up killing four of the enemy, including the one that was slowly dying underneath the earth itself. They also recovered the body of the fallen chūnin. It was not one that Kurama recognized, though Asuma did. Asuma looked to the patrol and identified Okei as the likely leader.

"What happened here?"

Okei scowled. He was youthful looking though he was actually in his 20s. "They ambushed us near the border. We flared our chakra and retreated but they were fast. If you hadn't arrived when you did we would have been done for."

The kunoichi muttered, "Shown up by a genin team. Can't believe you brought them into the fight with you Asuma-senpai."

"I'm their sensei aren't I? It isn't like they are your normal run of the mill genin team." Asuma bragged as he conversed with the attractive kunoichi. Kurama did his best not to make a scathing remark. Their sensei was lazy and if it wasn't for his own inherent ability Asuma would have likely died in the mission to Wave. Anko was twice the sensei Asuma was.

They patched the wounded up and headed toward the border fortification where they still had a scroll to deliver. All in all Kurama couldn't really complain, it was another entertaining mission and as long as he got to kill more shinobi he could live with Asuma's bravado and lechery.

*****BREAK*****

Ino watched Chōji eat another helping of food. She hadn't touched much of her own meal. The battle kept replaying in her mind. It seemed absurd to her how nonchalant everyone was. If her team hadn't arrived the three they rescued would have been killed. At any moment a stronger shinobi could reveal themselves and kill you and your comrades. The enemy shinobi had not expected one of the elite jōnin of Konoha to randomly appear in the middle of their battle with a chūnin border patrol and so it was their turn to die.

The uncertainty of the life she had chosen haunted her. Naruto was right, you had to train and prepare yourself because it could have just as easily been her who was decapitated or ripped nearly in two. She pushed aside her plate, which Chōji quickly pulled over to his side of the table.

"I'm going to stretch my legs." She got up and left the table. Her sensei was flirting with the kunoichi and Naruto was being quiet. She had a hard time understanding the boy. Being a Yamanaka she knew a lot about mental patterns and disorders and she was starting to think Naruto had one. He would range from saying something overly enthusiastic to being completely quiet and withdrawn. It was said all shinobi had... quirks so to speak, but Naruto bothered her for some reason. There was something off about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The border fort was not really designed as a defensive point; it was merely a shelter that had a high lookout tower that allowed one to see at a distance. A total of five squads called it their home, however typically there were always one to two squads in the field. They were saddened by the loss of one of their own but Ino had expected more of an impact to the survivors. More grief? More anger? Something. Perhaps they had become inured to death. That seemed awful to contemplate, especially since this was supposedly a time of peace.

Ino's thoughts drifted back to when she considered herself a child. Before graduation at the Academy. Before feeling the crippling fear of a jōnin's killing intent. Before seeing the slaughter of shinobi. She had always known that being a kunoichi meant death, but it had never been real before. It was like having someone describe the taste of a food you had never eaten. It wasn't truly real until you experienced it.

It was real to Ino now. She was a genin of Konohagakure and she was having second thoughts. She would not disgrace her family by trying to leave service as a shinobi, however there were many ways to serve. She could look into necessary work that was done within the village. Her father rarely left Konoha these days. There were all sorts of tasks that skilled shinobi were required to do within the village. Medical nin, T&amp;I, teaching at the Academy, intelligence and the barrier corps. Perhaps that would be an area she would be more suited for.

'No... that feels like giving up. Kami, I wish I was strong like Naruto. I still can't believe how much he has grown in the last 18 months.'

It really was amazing what dedicated training could do. She was aware that he had been given private tutoring for the last year of the Academy and it had made a massive difference. He went from dead last to being nearly as good as Sasuke. She hadn't had a chance to see Sasuke in action but unless he had grown a lot stronger in the last couple of months as well Naruto was probably the more dangerous shinobi.

Ino slowly made her way to the temporary accommodations she had been granted. It was going to be difficult to get sleep but she knew she had to remain sharp. After all, death could literally be around the corner.

*****BREAK*****

Team Ten ended up staying for another week. Their C ranked mission had been bumped up to a B rank and they were going to be reinforcing the border fort until more squads could be rotated in. If it had been needed the Sandaime could have had hundreds of shinobi there in a matter of days, however it didn't seem necessary and it would be extremely costly to do so. Instead it was going to be a more orderly doubling of the number of shinobi there with a focus on sensory specialists. Members of the Hyūga and the Aburame clan would be joining Tsume Inuzuka's squad. Any further incusions would be detected very swiftly.

Much to the relief of Ino and to the disgust of Kurama there was no further action in the week that they were there. They also learned via diplomatic channels that Iwa was denying any knowledge of such an attack and had accused Konoha of completing a false flag operation. Iwa had responded by increasing their own presence on the other side of the Kusagakure border. It was an uneasy tension but Asuma assured the team that it was unlikely to come to war.

"If Iwa was serious about invading they wouldn't have given up the advantage of surprise like this. This is posturing, nothing more."

Their week of border duty completed, they returned back to Konoha to prepare for the chūnin exams. Asuma had told them he wasn't even going to attempt to get them another C rank because apparently they drew trouble likes bees to flowers.

He explained this to his team. "Plus the B rank pay in addition to the C rank pay should let you do nicely until the exams. Needless to say I'm nominating you all."

Kurama smiled at that, both to stay in character but also in genuine contentment. Each step of his plan was proceeding appropriately. His teammates were strong for genin and he would be able to easily lead them through the exams. Once he became a chūnin he would be able to start his study of fuinjutsu. And then he could get rid of this pathetic human body and return to his proper magnificent form.

*****BREAK*****

Anko woke up and stretched. Yesterday had been fun. The little gaki had finally returned from his mission to the Kusagakure border and it had been time for him enjoy one of her training sessions. Anko had to admit the little genin had put up a tough fight but in the end he had known that he still had a long way to go. If she had a little fun putting him in his place... so what? He got something out of it and he would consider the deal a fair one.

She had taken him into her favorite training ground, the Forest of Death. They had marched toward the north end and she had told him the training session would be over if he could reach the south end. The gaki threw a handful of senbon at her and took off with a Shunshin before she could even say 'go'.

Cheeky bastard.

She had chased after the genin with her superior speed. She began their 'training' with a barrage of projectiles. Naruto had guts; he never flinched when death or injury was less than the span of a finger away. If an attack would not strike him he just ignored it. Anko herself preferred to keep her distance just in case she misjudged, it was rare but why take chances? Naruto never seemed to misjudge, not once.

To punish him for being that daring she added a small explosive tag to one of the kunai before sending it toward him. It would hurt, maybe even scar a little, if he did his normal tactic of not flinching or moving away from incoming projectiles that would narrowly miss. The yield on her explosive tag was mild and if he did scar it would be a damn good lesson.

Only he apparently had eyes in the back of his head and deflected the incoming kunai with his own. The explosion safely detonated away from him. Anko felt a surge of pride at that moment, as well as irritation.

From there Anko got more serious and started to launch Katon jutsu and sent summoned snakes to cross his path. Now Naruto had to dodge and put more effort into it. Anko had watched him use Kawarimi several times in addition to his natural agility to escape harm's way. Naruto continued to evade all forms of long range attack to his person. That was fine with Anko, she liked getting up close and personal.

Only Naruto had made that difficult as well. He was quick, not as quick as her but slippery. He didn't try to attack back, just continued to dodge, duck, weave and occasionally, when he had time to, Kawarimi away. All the while he continued to head south.

Finally she had gotten really upset and went full speed to finally take him down. The little gaki had put up a fight but she proved too quick and had jabbed him with a toxin that had him puking his guts out. He tried to use **Dokusei** **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique) but Anko wouldn't give him even a second of rest as she barraged him with painful punches, devastating kicks and several nicks with her poisoned kunai.

"Have you not done any training at all? This is pathetic." She had told him, hoping to get a rise out of him. He had glared at her but that was it. Since it had only been one hour she had plenty more time to play.

"All right, mean old Anko will give you a chance. Use your jutsu and I'll give you one minute to scram."

Anko watched him use the technique to cleanse himself of the poison. It would prevent further debilitation however the damage had been done; he would be feverish and disoriented. He had run off but his gait was no longer perfect and his speed was almost halved.

Anko had been looking forward to seeing how confident he was dodging senbon and kunai while seeing double. Much to her surprise the jinchūriki still managed to have some sixth sense as to when one of her attacks would miss by millimeters.

She had frowned in annoyance at that, with his senses so addled how was he still so aware of his surroundings? She dropped down on him only for him to try to hide underneath the earth with his Doton jutsu. A few burrowing snake summons later and he was forced to head back to the surface. Underground the Doton ability was powerful; however it was difficult to fight long underneath the earth in the snake's natural habitat.

Naruto rose to the surface only to be greeted by a cloud of gas. It was not lethal but it did cause severe irritation of the lungs, exposed skin surface and eyes. He had wisely held his breath before inhaling the caustic substance however his eyes were temporarily blinded and his skin began to become inflamed. Before he could escape from the cloud Anko came rushing into it. She had coated her body with a small film of chakra protecting her skin and eyes.

Again Naruto surprised her, he fought back knowing exactly where she was. Anko, a master of the arts of misdirection inherit in the **Hebi** (Snake) style could not fool her blind, poisoned and younger protégé. That had annoyed her but the sound of his forced inhalation after her fist struck into his solar plexus made up for it.

The gas seeped into his lungs causing him to cough and shake. He tried to form the hand seals to use Kawarimi. Anko would not let up and disrupted the jutsu before he could activate it. She swept his legs out from under him and then stabbed him with a senbon into the fleshy part of his thigh. She had then leapt clear of the gas cloud and released her chakra.

Naruto sent a single kunai flying straight for her which she dodged. It had sailed past her and her eyes had widened as Naruto completed his Kawarimi with the flying kunai. Eight senbon were held between his fingers and he flung them out at her from only a few feet away. There had been no time to dodge so she deflected most of them but took one to her shoulder. She was immune to a great many poisons but again would not risk the slight possibility that her one time student could win one over on her. She focused on her chakra and used a very powerful **Dokusei** **Kiyomeru** **no Jutsu **(Poison Cleanse Technique) to cleanse her system. It didn't work on everything but it did for many poisons and unless he had gotten something truly exotic in his travels she was covered.

However that had not been Naruto's concern, he had immediately sprinted south while Anko used her jutsu. Naruto had continued to surprise her over and over again. She had remembered grinning gleefully. He wouldn't give up, that was certain, and that meant she have live prey to toy with for quite some time.

In the end Naruto's body would suffer bruised ribs from being crushed by an anaconda. His nose had been broken. He had been hit with over a dozen non-lethal poisons. Bruises dotted his torso from punches and kicks. His body was a mass of lacerations and senbon punctures. His eyes were bloodshot and inflamed and he had suffered two concussions. Anko had felt quite invigorated by it all.

Yes, Naruto was a mess by the time the day was over but he had no serious injuries that would prevent his participation in the chūnin exam. Moreover the kid hadn't quit and hadn't even tried to ask for a respite. To the very end he fought as a shinobi should, never giving up and attempting to exploit the tiniest advantage he could get. Anko would introduce him to what she considered would be the perfect sensei to take him to the next level.

'If anyone could survive that crazy man's training it is him. Give it a year or two and you couldn't pay me with all the dango in the world to fight a real battle with him.'

*****BREAK*****

Kurama's stolen body had healed quickly. Only severe injuries kept him down for long. His injuries had been painful, he suspected that was the point, however they were not long lasting nor would they impact his training regime. It was also clear that while he was closing the gap there remained a ways to go. Mitarashi was not even a fully fledged jōnin and yet he had not even been close to defeating her. He had made her work for it and that was a victory in and of itself. And now he would gain the fruits of his 'training session' with his former sensei: access to another sensei who could further advance this body's power.

Whatever the technique was it had to be powerful if it could compete with Akimichi food pills. It may even work in his true form which could make future attempts to chain him impossible. Yes, he was quite interested to see who this sensei was. He approached the training field where he was supposed to meet Anko. He sensed three chakra signals ahead. One was clearly Anko. The other had a broken chakra system that Kurama could tell wouldn't function properly. That meant the third had to be that of his new ad hoc sensei. The individuals chakra was strong, though not greater than Asuma's.

Naruto entered into the training field and saw the two green clad shinobi talking with Anko. The two looked like they were father and son visually, however Kurama's bijū senses told him they didn't have the common biological markers of family.

"There is the little gaki. Say hello to Maito Gai, Konoha's best taijutsu sensei!"

Gai gave a blinding smile that made Kurama think he used some sort of chakra bleach to get them that white. Kurama was a bit disappointed by the initial impression. Taijutsu wasn't one of his areas of weakness. It would simply take time for him to push Naruto's body to get faster, from there his superior intellect and focus would allow him to defeat his opponents.

"Hello! My name is Naruto and I want to get stronger so no one can ever hurt my friends again."

The mini version of Gai jumped into the area. "YOSH! What a youthful goal, I would be honored to spar with you."

Kurama shrugged and looked to Gai and Anko who nodded. Anko added, "Taijutsu only Naruto."

"All right, and who are you?" Kurama asked the miniature version of Gai.

"I am Rock Lee, student to the best sensei in the world and I am a genius of hard work!"

Kurama sensed that if he asked any questions he'd have to endure a lecture, instead he simply dropped into a fighting stance. Lee smiled and charged at him, leading off with a devastating kick.

The boy was fast but so was Kurama. Kurama blocked the kick and felt the power behind it, not just power but also weight. Despite the extra weight it did not break his guard, however he would sport a short lived bruise. Kurama closed in to strike and Lee expertly blocked and the two engaged in a quick close-quarters exchange of blocks and attacks.

Despite being rather ridiculous looking his opponent knew his craft. The **Goken** (Strong Fist) style was a good counter to his own. The sharp movements were close to the body in defense and he only extended on the attack. Kurama went for a throw and Lee spun around in mid air and his weighted leg rocketed toward Kurama, who ducked. Lee gracefully landed on the ground and sprang forward in a blur.

Kurama tracked his movements, if he could have used senbon his attacker would be riddled with them thanks to the headlong charge. Since he couldn't he pivoted to the side and aimed a perpendicular blow to the ribs. That was blocked and the two had another swift exchange, this time instead of attempting a throw, Kurama allowed a punch to connect to his midsection to give him time to hit Lee with an elbow to the jaw. Lee had not been expecting that and the elbow hit him in the nose. Kurama wasted no time while Lee was momentarily stunned. His hands were a blur as he hit Lee three times in his center. Lee doubled over and Kurama ended the fight with an elbow to the back of the neck.

The new sensei looked at him, rather surprised. "You bested my student in taijutsu! A most youthful example." Gai helped his student up and turned to him. "Your opponent accepted a punch in order to make an attack of his own, never assume your opponent must block. This goes beyond just taijutsu, many opponents use other tricks."

"Hai! I am sorry I did not succeed. Next time I will win or I will run one hundred laps around the village. And if I cannot do that I will do 1,000 pushups on my finger tips."

Kurama blinked. That would be excessive.

"What youthful spirit, oh Lee you are the best student I could imagine!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

The two hugged. Kurama looked over to Anko who was silently trying to hold back her laughter. Had she tricked him? Was this a joke? Kurama rarely let emotion alter his facial features unless it was intentional but he was now grinding his teeth in a very human gesture.

After the two had ended their embrace Gai called out his instructions. "You two will fight again. Lee, remove your weights so Naruto can see the benefit of all of your youthful hard work!"

Kurama had been kicked by Lee's leg and knew they had to have substantial mass. Lee undid the straps and the two fell to the earth heavily. They got back into their fighting stance and Kurama's opponent blurred forward, significantly faster than before.

**AN: **The Iwa probe is not from canon but I like the idea of Orochimaru sending agents in light attacks around the boarders of Hi no Kuni, thereby drawing away the best sensory shinobi while he infiltrated the exams.

As always I greatly appreciate your thoughts and reviews!


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